Top architectural sightseeing and landmarks of Madrid - ideas on city exploration routes

» The Royal Palace in Madrid hosts a bulk of the official ceremonies, in which King of Spain takes part. Also, the palace is the official residence of the Spanish monarchs.
» The Royal Palace in Madrid is decorated with frescoes by Caravaggio, Velazquez, Goya; inside the building there is the collection of Stradivarius violins. The courtyard is decorated with gilded lanterns.
» Gasparini Hall in the palace is lined with silk and silver lanterns, in the center there is a table of mosaics; chandeliers are made of silver and crystal, the walls are decorated with mirrors.
» The armory of the Royal Palace houses a unique collection of arms and armor of the Austrian monarchs.

» The Prado Museum in Madrid is one of the most visited museums in the world.
» Prado features a unique collection of Spanish, Flemish and Italian art masters such as Velazquez, Goya, Bosch, and Rubens.
» Queen Isabel de Braganza was actively involved in development of the Prado Museum.
» The museum's collection began to be formed by the Spanish kings since the reign of Charles V and his son Philip II.
» At the time of the opening the museum's collection has consisted of 311 paintings.

» Las Ventas is the bullring that was built in 1929. The fights are held here in summer.
» There’s an opinion that football fans’ cry ‘ole-ole’ comes from bullfighting.
» Future matadors are taught from an early age. Costume of the bullfighter is called Traje de Luces, ‘the suit of lights’.
» Matador translates from Spanish as ‘the killer’.
» There is the museum dedicated to the history of bullfighting at the arena. Here you can see costumes and personal belongings of the matadors, as well as heads of slain bulls.
» A suit of the first female matador, Juanita Cruz, is stored in the museum of arena. During the Civil War, she has left Spain.

» Vicente Calderon is the 7th-capacity stadium in Spain.
» At the moment, the stadium can accommodate 54,960 spectators.
» Chairs of the stadium are painted in red and white, the colors of Atletico club.
» In 2003, it became the first Spanish stadium to be awarded the title of elite stadium and get 5 stars.
» The first official name of the stadium was Manzanares. Later it was renamed in honor of the club's president, Vicente Calderon.

» The museum was founded by decree of Isabella II for storing ethnographic and archaeological finds, decorative art objects and the numismatic collection.
» There is a magnificent and authentic copy of the Altamira Caves in the garden.
» The most important items in the museum are three sculptures: the Lady of Elx, Lady of Baza and Biche of Balazote.
» The museum is considered one of the best in the country.
» There are about a million works of art belonging to different cultures, nations and epochs in the collection.
» One of the most striking exhibits is the famous Treasure of Guarrazar, consisting of golden crowns and crusifix of the 6th century.

» Circulo de Bellas Artes is the multi-functional center representing various forms of art from the plastic and performing arts to literature, science, philosophy, and cinema.
» The center was founded in 1880 through the efforts of a small group of artists.
» During its first years, there were many famous people, including Nobel laureate Jacinto Benavente and playwrighter Carlos Arniches, on the stage.
» The main goal of the center is to spread basic artistic and cultural values. About 1,000 various cultural events take place in Circulo de Bellas Artes every year.
» It houses a large and priceless collection of works of art and about 1,200 copies (paintings, prints, sculptures, books, etc.).

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Facts: » Royal Convent of La Encarnacion was founded in 1611 by Margaret of Austria, the wife of Philip III. This monastery is still working.
» The monastery still remains home to high society ladies. It’s considered one of the richest and most prosperous monasteries of Spain.
» The church of the monastery keeps relics of Christian saints, in particular, the blood of St. Januarius and St. Pantaleon.
» It’s believed that the blood of St. Pantaleon becomes liquid every year on July 27, on the feast day of the saint.
»  Since the monastery was built on the initiative of Queen Margaret of Austria, it’s known as Las Margaritas.
» Due to a fire that occurred in a monastery in the 18th century, the monastery was renovated and the interior has been changed significantly.