I have long been facinated by great bulidings. I remember reading the Fountainhead and dreaming of the marvelously artistic structure that dot the landscape. When I travelled to Spain with a high school student group, I reveled in the Mudejar styles in Andulucia( even though they seem to omit the last syllable there)-Cordoba, Sevilla, and Granada all had splendid masterpieces. I am not only interested in the Mudejar style, but I love great architecture in all styles. I saw the "la jirafa" in Madrid, but I can not remember seeing many other special buildings in my short stay there.I spent most of my time along the Gran Via and this time I plan to stray into many neighborhoods of this great city. I hope other posters can alert me to some great bulidings in Madrid that I should not miss on my upcoming trip.

Muchas Gracias

There's a really nice book called WALKS IN MADRID that not only covers great architecture, but gives you a feel for the different time periods: The Hapsburg Madrid, the Madrid of Goya, the Arab Madrid, and so on.

Shawn,

You can find lots of books about Madrid at Ediciones La Librería (Mayor, 80).

The Municipal Tourist Board organises tours througout the year (note that nearly all of them are in Spanish). Some of them are about architecture. Ask at the tourist office for the Discover Madrid leaflet.

Regards,

Antonio

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

[This message has been edited by Antonio (edited 08-31-2000).]

There are two (new) buildings called by some Madrilen~os 'la puerta del norte:' nothing historical here - I think they look garish - they appear to be leaning toward each other across the Paseo de la Castellana up near the Plaza de Castilla.

Much of central Madrid (reconstructed after the guerra civil) is Madrid de los Bourbones (Juan Carlos & his father & grandfather are of the Bourbon heritage). Madrid ordinances require that most reconstruction in historic areas adhere to the original architectural characteristics of the area. Much of what you may consider 'well preserved' buildings have actually been rebuilt from the inside out (the facade is 'period,' but the inside is brand new).

What we call old Madrid is mostly Madrid de los Austrias. (Carlos I (de Espan~a, V de Austria) thru V, I believe). The Plaza de Santa Ana would probably be a good place to start exploring that epoch, even though VillaRosa, right there on the Plaza, shows definite Moorish influences. A friend of ours, and formerly my wife's family doctor: Dr. Joaquin Angel Rodriguez, owned Meson de los Austrias very close to Botin's. I say 'owned' because he may have sold it along with the Dispensario de Urgencia on the Plaza Mayor that he was in the process of 'closing & selling' when we visited with him last January.

And in the Parque de Oriente, across from the Palacio Real, you will find statues of the "godos,' the Visigoth Kings of Spain. My favorite is VVamba, possibly because that was the name of the restaurant where we had our wedding reception: it used to be in the Parqe de Oriente (northwest corner) but it's not there anymore.

what you'll find in madrid is a mixture of styles within a relatively small area. of course there's the obvious sights such as the palacio real, a grand eighteenth century building. the area known as "old madrid" is stylistically tied to the days of madrid de los austrias. these are buildings generally dating from the 16th and 17th century. the plaza mayor, palacio de satna cruz, palacio de abrantes,puerta del sol and arcos de cuchilleros are all examples of castilian baroque. if you wander doen to the plaza de la villa you've come to what used to be a market place during moorish times. today its highly adorned with castilian baroque architecture. however on the plaza is a mudejar tower from the 14th century. if you're looking for mudejar architecture you might want to check the little iglesia de san nicolas. its the oldest church in the city and its bell tower is thought to have been a minaret for the original mosque. other architectural spots, the plaza de la paja is a well restored medieval section. if you wander the streets near there you'll be in the old moorish quarter. there aren't any buildings per se, but the streets retain their medina-like maze. more than anything else you'll just want to wander through the neighborhoods. that's where you really feel the city. each has its own flavor. everything from the previously mentioned madrid of the austrias to the more 19th-early 20th century madrid of the bourbons. then of course along the paseo de la castellana there's a very modern feel.

Eddie,

[I just wanted to correct some smalls mistakes from your post. Madridman tells people get angry about my edits so I post the corrections here].

The leaning towers at Plaza de Castilla you were talking about are the Torres Kio. They are also known as Puerta de Europa.

Carlos I de España y V de Alemania.

I guess what you called "Parque de Oriente" is "Plaza de Oriente".

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Now, one more thing about Madrid modern architecture. Torre de Picasso at Paseo de la Castellana is the highest skyscraper in Spain (though it is only 157 metres height). It was built by Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who built the Torres Gemelas (Twin Towers?) in New York.

Regards,

Antonio

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

Thanks to everyone!

I will be well prepared with books from the store located on calle mayor and the recommended reading from rgf. With the foundations from these readings and the suggested sites- Torre Kio, Torre de Picasso, the area around the Rastro- I will surely delight in my strolls through Madrid and her distict neighborhoods.

BTW, I was alerted to the fact that I had misidentified the Torre de Madrid. I thought it was refered to as "la jirafa" , but I have been advised otherwise.

Antonio:
Yes, it is Plaza de Oriente across from the Palacio Real. My wife's family lived on C./de Arrieta (Do you know where that is?). She and her cousins grew up playing in what people in that neighborhood call the Parque de Oriente. I wouldn't call nearby Plaza de la Opera or the Plaza de Espan~a 'parks,' but because the Plaza de Oriente is a grassy place where children play - that has statues and benches for people to relax, we continue to refer to it as a park.

As for Carlos Primero de Espan~a y Quinto de Alemania: That's something one learns with one's first copa de Carlos I (brandy Domecq) from the waiter or from one's companions. I was referring to the Kings, not the Brandy.