Madrid is an outsized village of three million people (five million, if including the outskirts) where nearly everyone is from somewhere else; it is cosmopolitan and unrefined at the same time. One of its greatest charms is its peculiar identity - a mix of different cultures - and also the warmth and friendliness of its madrileños. And, of course, its constant motion - in Madrid one always has the feeling that something is going on. In Madrid, neighbourhoods and architectural tendencies mix and overlap: you can even find remains of the Arab wall of Magerit (the Arabic name for the city, which means "City of Water"). According to chronicles left by Arab historians, Madrid was founded in the mid-ninth century by the Cordovan Emir Mohammed I as a forward outpost for the Muslims in their struggle against the Christians. Madrid was also an outpost protecting Toledo from continual Mozarabic rebellions. Magerit, or Mayrit, was a frontier city strategically located on the plateau overlooking the Manzanares river. La Plaza de la Paja, in La Latina, in the heart of Madrid, stems from this time. In 932 Madrid was reconquered by King Ramiro II of Leon. Shortly thereafter it fell again into Muslim hands, and back to the Christians in 1085. Over the following four centuries the town evolved and took shape - it became a small Castilian town of farmers, craftsmen and merchants. Names of places, mainly "Puertas" (city gates), remain from this epoch: Puerta de la Vega, Puerta de Moros, Puerta Cerrada and the like. Madrid became the capital of Spain with Felipe II, in the XVI century. Felipe II and his architect, Juan de Herrera, rearranged plazas and streets. El Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Puente de Segovia and Monasterio del Escorial were all built in this century. In the XVII century, Felipe IV chose some brilliant architects and planners, and the city continued to grow - though more like an ecclesiastical city than like “capital of the world”, capital of the largest empire in the history of the world. At that time, Madrid boasted 265 parish churches, convents and monasteries (and around 400 taverns). Some good examples of this era can be found in el Barrio de los Austrias - in clear reference to the Habsburgs: Monasterio de la Encarnación, Plaza Mayor, Casa de la Villa. Palacio del Buen Retiro is also from that same century (near Museo del Prado). But Spain’s Golden Age was the XVII century: Spain’s most famous painters (Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo, Zurbarán), sculptors (Gregorio Fernández, Pedro de Mena) and writers (Cervantes, Quevedo, Góngora, Calderón de la Barca, Tirso de Molina, Lope de Vega) . all lived in the XVII century – and most of them were buried in Madrid. Artistic tastes changed with the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty. With the construction of broad avenues and boulevards, and some emblematic public buildings, the city gained its current monumental character: the Royal Palace, the Paseo del Prado, with Cibeles, Neptuno and the Botanical Garden, are all examples of the new taste. Most of these changes were implemented in the XIX century. At the beginning of this same century, an event took place, which marked the city's history: the War of Independence from the French (2nd May 1808), so well portrayed by Goya. And the arrival of the industrial age. In the XX century, the city of Madrid and its inhabitants suffered Civil War (1936 - 1939) and its consequences. Franco's Spain was very much a centralised state and Madrid grew at a rapid pace - from one million inhabitants in the 50's to its current three / five million (depending if you include the outskirts or not). Urban development had an impact on the Manzanares river, now on its way to recover having been very polluted. In the recent past, Madrid's cultural scene has been greatly enhanced, old fiestas and traditions have been revived, its nightlife ("la movida madrileña") continues to be unrivalled. We very much hope you will give us the opportunity to show you this exciting city - we can assure you that you will get to love this city as much as we do.