Madrid, built on water and fire

Why are the festivals in Madrid called verbenas? On the night of San Juan, Madrid residents went to the San Blas hill (in the place where the Retiro Astronomical Observatory is today) to pick a medicinal plant called verbena. The festival must be caught just before dawn, which is why they spent the night awake singing and dancing, until it was time to catch the festival. Hence all the…

Discover the Madrid of the writers Miguel Hernández and Lope de Vega Sensitivity is a gift of the soul, not just one look kills everyone. Aitor Contreras. For lovers of those walks through the streets and alleys of Madrid, two new cultural routes arrive that do not miss a single detail. The poet and writer Aitor Contreras is the one in charge of directing both cultural routes, thus demonstrating his admiration for centuries-old Spanish poetry…

The oldest sports building in Europe is in Madrid The Beti-Jai Fronton is in Madrid and is the oldest urban fronton in the world and the oldest sports building in Europe. It was built by the architect Joaquín Rucoba in 1894. Made in a mixture of neo-Mudejar and neoclassical styles, the fronton takes the shape of one of the characteristic baskets used in the game of Basque pelota. Its capacity reached 4.000 spectators. After…

Recommended free tours to learn about the history and culture of Madrid Madrid is undoubtedly a city to discover on foot. The capital has managed to maintain a balance between continuing to be a city by and for those who live there, whether they are Madrid natives or adopted, and being a draw for visitors from other latitudes. From its large avenues and boulevards full of trees and cafes, to its picturesque alleys and nooks full of history, passing through…

The first man from Madrid was a Visigoth shepherd. It is believed that there was a group of hunter-gatherers in prehistoric times along the Manzanares River, in the same way that there may have been Carpetan shepherds or hunters in pre-Roman times. From the Roman period there are remains of some isolated villas, such as the one in Carabanchel. Madrid was originally a Visigothic village populated by shepherds and farmers. No remains of the houses have been preserved, probably because they were made of adobes (bricks...

They say that it happened at the Carnival of 1853. They were the carnival festivities of the year 1853. The traditional masked ball was held in the halls of the Royal Theater to which a young foreign diplomat had been invited. The young man felt somewhat displaced until, suddenly, a beautiful woman, with a very pale face and her eyes hidden behind a mask, sat next to him. The young woman, who was carrying a white rose in her hand, wanted to talk and immediately…