Excursion tour in Madrid. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces

» Palacio de Cibeles was originally designed as the central office of the telephone service, post and telegraph of Spain.
» The post office was built in 1918 and was called the Palace of Communication.
» Palace of Communication now houses the City Hall.
» This monumental building, decorating the area, represents one of the four pillars of modern civilization, power.
» Palacio de Cibeles consists of two buildings integrated with each other.
»  This construction is one of the first examples of modernist architecture.

» Almudena Cathedral is decorated with the statue of the Holy Virgin of Almudena, which is also called the statue of the Blessed Virgin, who is the patron saint of Spanish capital.
» According to the legend, the figure of the Virgin Mary was found here in the wall of an ancient Arab fortress, and the Cathedral was built at that site. Almudena is translated from Arab as ‘the fortress’.
» The main altar of the Cathedral of Granada is made of green marble.
» According to the legend, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Almudena was brought to Spain by the apostle James, who preached the Christian faith in the Pyrenees in the 1st century.
» The casket containing the remains of St. Isidro is kept in a duct under the altar.

» Museum of Natural Science features an important and unique collection of scientific specimens of nature. The venue actively develops the program of exhibitions and educational activities to all visitors.
» The museum is considered one of the largest centers in the whole Mediterranean region and has a collection of 6 million exhibits.
» In 1815 the museum was renamed and became known as the Royal Museum of Natural Sciences.
» Royal Cabinet of Natural Sciences was established during the reign of Carlos III, when the Spanish merchant Pedro Franco Dávila agreed to sell his collection of antiquities to the Spanish king.
» During the Spanish Civil War, the museum was badly damaged in Madrid bombings and was closed for restoration.

» Santiago Barnabeu is the home stadium of Real Madrid.
» Santiago Bernabeu Stadium can accommodate more than 80 million viewers.
» The Stadium is named in honor of the President of the Royal football club Real Madrid and one of its founders, Don Santiago Bernabéu Yeste.
» The stadium was built in 1947 on the site of the former home arena of FC Real Madrid, the Stadium Chamartin.
»  Santiago Bernabeu is the third largest stadium in Europe.

» The Puerta de Alcala is one of the main symbols of Madrid, the hallmark of the city.
» Puerta de Alcala was built in the end of the 16th century as a gift to Princess Margaret of Austria.
» After his coronation, Charles III traveled with a large retinue through the Puerta de Alcala and he didn’t like the gate.
» In 1823, Alcala gate were fired by cannon shrapnel. Traces of shrapnel can be seen these days.
» In 1921, at the gate of Alcala anarchists have murdered President of the Council of Ministers, Eduardo Dato Iradier.
»  The Gates is adorned with the head of a lion, a cornucopia and the Greco-Roman deities of rumors and devotion to people. The gate itself is made of granite blocks.

» Pantheon of the Illustrious Men was conceived in 1837; the main goal was to create the National Pantheon to house the remains of the great Spanish for at least 50 years after their death.
» Currently, the tomb monument designed for the burial of famous people stands in the gallery of the Basilica.
» For some time, there have also been the remains of Prima, Palafox and Castaignos, but in the end they were moved to their places of origin.
» Gravestones are works of art, made by famous sculptors like Mariano Benlliure, Agustin Querol, Arturo Melida, Pedro Estany and Federico Aparisi.
» This Basilica, built on the site of the former Dominican convent of the 16th century, houses the Roman image of the Virgin Mary.