Interesting places in Spain

MADRIT

Madrit is one of the most interesting places in Spain. It has been the capital city of Spain for approx. 5 centuries; it is located in the central part of the country. In comparison with other cities in Spain, Madrid doesn’t have much historical monuments. The main attractions are collections in museums which belong to the most important in the world.

The Old Madrid constitutes the very centre of the city and is a place full of interesting historical monuments, which witnessed many important historical events. The most magnificent architectonic work of art is the arcaded Plaza Mayor, where inquisition trails and executions took place. In addition to that, two collegiate churches, San Isidro and Palacio de Santa Cruz, are also worth attention. While walking in the Old Town, tourists may also visit one of numerous cafes or go shopping to the Mercado de San Miguel. The very famous Puerta del Sol Square, which is a central point of Madrid and a popular place of meetings, is passed by crowds of people who are in a hurry to go to shops and to visit other historical monuments in the old part of the city. The Plaza Mayor is surrounded by a homogeneous building type, and is a rectangular square (120x100 meters) which was built in the 17th century at the place of a former market. Apart from being a marketplace, it was a scene of many events watched by crowds of people and the royalty. Masquerades, canonizations, inquisition trials and bullfights took place here. Currently, surrounded by gardens belonging to many cafes, it is a meeting-place of collectors and art lovers.

The Palacio Real, decorated by many rulers of Spain with splendor, is also worth seeing. Although, the present king of Spain lives in a different place, this palace is still very relevant, because different royal ceremonies take place here.

The Paseo del Prado, commonly known as a cultural parlor of Madrid, is a wide and green promenade, where huge museums, rich residences, scientific institutions and cafes, are located. The greatest attractions here are certainly the famous Museo del Prado and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. An outstanding architectonic work of art connected with Charles III is a nearby representative city gate of Puerta de Alcalá and Fuente de Cibeles standing on its axis in the middle of a roundabout. The Museo del Prado owns the biggest collection of Spanish paintings in the world which includes the majority of masterpieces of Velázquez and Goya. Foreign collection of pictures includes many works of Bosch, Titan and Rubens. In the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, displaying works of very important artists such as Joàn Miró and Salvadore Dalí, the pearl of the collection is a famous "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso. The following places are also worth visiting in Madrid: The Palace of Justice (1758), the Senate Palace, the Congress Palace (1843), Puerta de Alcalá (1778), the San Pedro el Real Church (15th century), the San Isidoro el Real Cathedral (17th century), the Casa de Campo Park with the area of 1,447 hectares with the Prince Fountain (1725), and bridges, for example, the Toledo (1720-1732) and the Segovia Bridge (1584).

BARCELONA

Next interesting place in Spain is Barcelona. The capital city of Spanish Catalonia and one of the most lively harbors in the Mediterranean Sea at the same time. It often successfully competes with Madrid as far as its culture, historical monuments, number of visitors and the intensity of its development are concerned.

The Old Town in Barcelona, cut by the most important arterial road- Ramblas, is one of the most extensive and one of the most harmonious old towns in Europe. In the Barri Gôtic (the Gothic Quarter), there is a cathedral and a former royal palace. The adjacent La Ribera is full of 14th- century valuable tenements. There is the Picasso Museum in one of them. This area borders with the Citadel park (Parc de la Ciutadella) where the Museum of Contemporary Art and a zoological garden are situated. The shore consists of a few kilometers of well-maintained beaches and promenades spreading from the Olympia Village to the Old Harbor with historical shipyard and a fashionable yacht harbor. Las Ramblas is a very lively place, bustling particularly in the evenings and at weekends. The promenade lying in the shades of plane-trees in the middle of the avenue is full of sellers of newspapers, cage birds, flowers, of tarot fortune tellers, musicians and mimes.

While being in Barcelona, it is impossible to omit probably the most untypical European church – Sagrada Familia, which became the symbol of the city through all the years of its existence. The Montjud’c Hill looming over the city is an entertainment district of Barcelona known for its numerous museums, art galleries, amusement park and night clubs.

The city’s fast development is certainly the result of the Organization of the Olympic Games in 1992. New sports buildings, Olympia village and Parc de Mar were built at the place of former industrial grounds of Poble Nou at that time. In addition to that, the Olympic stadium built in 1929 on the Montjuic was rebuilt thoroughly. Many buildings were renovated and renewed at that time, parks and recreation areas were taken care of and also the inhabitants of the city profited from it.

SEVILLE

It is a city with ancient roots and it is claimed that its legendary founder was Hercules. For hundreds of years, it was under the Arabian influence; it was first a part of Al Andalus country and next a part of the Kingdom of Castile. During the times of the great colonial power of Spain, Seville was the sole harbor of trade with the whole world, which resulted in its fast development and modernization.

The main tourist attraction of the city is the Giralda, originally a minaret of a non-existent mosque from the 12th century built by the Almohad dynasty. A very similar building can be seen in Rabat in Morocco. It belongs to the most magnificent Islamic buildings in the world. To ascend the tower, 35 sloping ramps, wide enough for two riding guards to pass each other, were built. The tower is currently the bell tower of the cathedral built in the 15th century at the place of a former mosque.

The Cathedral of Seville is bigger then the St. Peter basilica in Rome. Its five-nave foundation is 42- meter long and it seems tall enough to contain a smaller church. The builders decided to construct „a building huge enough to say that it was build by madmen”. Inside the cathedral, there is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, which is one of his three tombs. Next to the cathedral, there is the Alkazar. The castle was a seat of Muslim rulers of Seville. After the Reconquista in the 14th century, the Alkazar became the favorite place of the king Pedro the Cruel. He lived there together with his lover Maria de Padilla. He hired the builders from Moorish Grenada who turned the castle into a magnificent residence. It is one of the best examples of the mudéjar style– which was developed by the Moor people working under the reign of the Christians. In the south-west direction, apart from romantic alleys and patios of the Old Town, there is the Plaza de España. This astonishing, fairy building with numerous fountains and azulejos tiles, was built as a centre of American Fairs, which never took place. A very interesting building is also the nearby former Fábrica de Tabacos, because the action of “Carmen” by Bizet starts there. The Golden Tower– Torre del Oro looms over the Guadalquivir. The gold brought to Seville from America was kept there. Numerous museums in Seville such as the Archeological Museum and the Fine Arts Museum are also worth attention.