MADRID

city, capital of Spain and of Madrid provincia. A national centre of arts and industry, the city and province form one of the new autonomous regions of the post-Franco era. The status of the city as the national capital reflects the centralizing policy of the 16th-century Spanish king Philip II and his successors. The choice of Madrid, however, was also the result of Madrid's previous obscurity and neutrality, in that it lacked ties with an established, non-royal power, rather than of any strategic, geographic, or economic considerations. Indeed Madrid is deficient in other characteristics that might be thought to qualify it for a leading role. It is not on a major river, in the way that so many European cities are; the playwright Lope de Vega, referring to a magnificent bridge over the distinctly unimposing waters of the Manzanares, suggested either selling the bridge or buying another river. Madrid does not possess mineral deposits or other natural wealth, nor was it ever a destination of pilgrimages, although its patron saint, San Isidro, enjoys the all but unique distinction of having been married to another saint. Even the city's origins seem inappropriate for a national capital, since its earliest historical role was as the site of a small Moorish fortress on a rocky outcroppart of the northern defenses of what was then the far more important city of Toledo, 40 miles (65 kilometres) to the southwest. It was in 1607, a whole generation after Philip II took the court to Madrid in 1561, that Philip III officially made the city the national capital, a status it has retained ever since. Under the patronage of Philip and his successors, Madrid developed into a city of curious contrasts, preserving its old, overcrowded centre, around which developed palaces, convents, churches, and public buildings. This combination has created a quintessentially Spanish city, a true capital in character, with a sparkle and vitality all its own. officially Comunidad de Madrid comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of central Spain, coextensive with the provincia of the same name and established by the statute of autonomy of 1983. The provincia was formed in 1833. It roughly coincides with the drainage of the southern slopes of the Guadarrama Mountains (7,972 feet ) by the Jarama, Henares, and Manzanares rivers. On the monotonous Central Plateau, the terrain is a bare, typically Castilian landscape of yellow soils and open cereal fields and was the scene of several decisive battles during the Spanish Civil War (193639). Pine forests, preserved on the mountain slopes, attract a new style of summer suburbia for residents of Madrid city (the provincial and national capital) and provide ski facilities in the winter. Only along the Henares and Jarama do irrigated lands give ribbons of green, intensive horticulture; on the outskirts of Greater Madrid are poultry and pig farms interspersed with the development of villas or factories along the main highways. Well-endowed with building materials, the province has granite quarries in the Guadarrama and clays to the south. An important factor in transport and communications is the relative ease of access via passes over the central mountains, notably the Somo Mountain Pass (4,650 feet ) to the northeast, which is used by road and the Burgos railway. The Navacerrada Pass carries the Madrid-Segovia railway. All the great national railways converge in the province. Area 3,087 square miles (7,995 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 4,910,199. city, capital of Spain, of Madrid provincia, and of the Madrid comunidad autnoma (autonomous community). The city is located on the undulating Central Plateau in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula and is, at 2,100 feet (635 m) above sea level, one of Europe's highest capital cities. Madrid's elevation and exposed setting make it liable to sudden variations of temperature. Because of these same circumstances, however, the city has a healthful climate and pleasant weather, except in winter, when sharp winds blow, and in July and August, when the heat can be oppressive. Modern Madrid long made its living primarily from government, banking, insurance, and tourism and derived income as the transportation hub of the nation. After World War II, however, it became an important manufacturing city, producing automobile and truck engines, electric and electronic equipment, plastics, rubber, aircraft, and optical goods. It is also a major publishing centre. For centuries the original town grew around the captured Moorish Alcazar, or castle, before later beginning a slow expansion eastward. In the 20th century, Madrid's growth has been achieved in abrupt stages. Although some of the pre-16th-century street patterns still exist, few buildings of that period remain. Among the rare medieval structures is the restored Casa de los Lujanez, which is in the same square as the Plaza de la Villa, the small 17th-century Madrid Town Hall. Perhaps the finest architectural feature of the city is the Plaza Mayor, a city square of the Habsburg period. The National Palace, rebuilt in the mid-1700s, is a Neoclassical building that houses one of the world's great collections of body armour as well as the swords of the conquistadores Hernn Corts and Francisco Pizarro. Adjoining the palace on the south is Madrid's first cathedral, Nuestra Seora de la Almudena. The north-south axis, known as the Paseo, is a broad tree-lined boulevard along which are located the newest tall office buildings, luxury hotels and residences, the parliament building, embassies, and major cultural institutions. The Prado, one of the world's major picture galleries, is devoted to works primarily from the 15th to the early 19th century; the works of Francisco de Goya and Diego Velzquez are featured. Of the city's many libraries, two are noted for their manuscripts and rare books: the National Library and the library of the Royal Palace. The main education centre is at University City; it includes the Open University (Universidad Nacional de Educacin a Distancia; 1972) and the Complutensian University of Madrid (1508). The city also has academies of fine arts, history, and Spanish culture. Madrid's prosperity has resulted in an ever-increasing number of automobiles, but subway and bus systems also provide local transportation. Railways radiate in all directions, connecting Madrid to other Spanish cities and to both coasts. The Barajas (international) Airport is located 8 miles (13 km) from the city. Area city, 234 square miles (607 square km); metropolitan area, 394 square miles (1,020 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 2,909,792. Additional reading General works All Madrid, trans. from Spanish (1979); and Alastair Boyd, The Companion Guide to Madrid and Central Spain (1974), are descriptive guides. Juan Antonio Cabezas, Madrid, 3rd ed. (1971), examines all districts and cultural institutions of the capital. Archibald Lyall, Well Met in Madrid (1960); and Elena Sainz, Living in Madrid (1981), are more personal accounts. History Federico Bravo Morata, Historia de Madrid, 4 vol. (196678); and Jos Amador De Los Rios, Historia de la villa y corte de Madrid, 4 vol. (186064; reprinted 1978), give wide coverage of historical events. Modern history, and especially the Civil War, is presented in George Hills, Battle for Madrid (1976); Matilde Vzquez and Javier Valero, La guerra civil en Madrid (1978); David Jato Miranda, Madrid, capital republicana (1976); Dan Kurzman, Miracle of November: Madrid's Epic Stand, 1936 (1980); and Jos Manuel Martnez Bande, Frente de Madrid (1976). Social and economic development Nina Epton, Madrid (1964), describes the inhabitants of the various quarters of the city; Michael Kenny, A Spanish Tapestry: Town and Country in Castile (1969), compares life in Madrid to that in a rural parish; David R. Ringrose, Madrid and the Spanish Economy, 15601850 (1983); Julio Vinuesa Angulo, El desarrollo metropolitano de Madrid (1976); and Santos Julia Diaz, Madrid, 19311934: de la fiesta popular a la lucha de classes (1984), are scholarly studies of social developments and conflicts. Art and monuments Harry B. Wehle, Great Paintings from the Prado Museum (1963), includes a sketch of the museum's history; F.h. Sanchez Canton, The Prado, trans. from the French, new rev. ed. (1966), also includes a historical essay; Manuel Lorente, The Prado, Madrid, 2 vol. (1965), is an impressive collection of reproductions; Consuelo Luca De Tena and Manuela Mena, Guide to the Prado (1980; originally published in Spanish, 1980), is a more recent survey. Jonathan Brown and J.H. Elliott, A Palace for a King: The Buen Retiro and the Court of Philip IV (1980), is a well-researched description of the pleasure palace and its notable art collection. See also Aurea De La Morena Bartolom et al., Catalogo monumental de Madrid (1976). Blake Ehrlich Timothy John Connell