Culture Abounds in Madrid

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We've been enjoying ourselves here in this beautiful city. Madrid is a mixture of the old Spanish culture and the new, hip and young blood that is thriving here on the great food, cheap attractions and entertainment, and a never ending supply of new visitors (like us for instance.) I'm headed off for the world's only art walk in the world which includes painting, sculpture, architecture and nature, in one of Madrid's most attractive areas: Paseo del Prado. I hope to see three museams of global renown: the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia National Art Centre. I may also have time to see Goya's Madrid, I'll let you know when I get back this evening.

Back from walking for five hours in the art section of Madrid and still only got through two of the three museums we planned on seeing. The only museums that compete with these in breadth of works are in Washington, DC and perhaps Rome, Italy. Truly world class. I managed to grab a few pictures in one but didn't bother with my camera in the second because security was tighter.

The first museum, The Museo del Prado is one of the buildings constructed during the reign of Charles III to embellish that part of Madrid first known as the Salón del Prado and then the Paseo del Prado. The Salón del Prado, running from Cibeles to Atocha, was an ambitious example of urban planning with which Charles III - known as "the best mayor of Madrid" and also "the builder-king" - aimed to give the city a noble and monumental urban space comparable to those found in other European capitals. Charles returned from Naples where he was monarch to be crowned King of Spain, discovering that his native city had improved little in his absence. Madrid was still basically a small Castilian town which had suddenly and unexpectedly become capital of Spain under Philip II. As a consequence, it had grown rapidly and in a haphazard fashion.

This "prado" (meaning meadow in Spanish) gave its name to the Salón, later Paseo del Prado, and later still to the Museum itself. The leafy area was embellished with monumental fountains (Cibeles, Apollo or the Four Seasons, Neptune, etc, all classical subjects in line with late 18th-century taste), as well as imposing buildings intended for the purposes of Science, a major preoccupation of the Enlightenment. These were commissioned by the king from his architect, Juan de Villanueva. On the north-south axis of the Paseo, Villanueva designed the present Museum (originally intended to be a Natural History Museum), the Botanical Gardens, and the Observatory, the latter at the highest point of the Retiro Park. The whole plan was exceptionally coherent in its intent: while the present Museum was intended for the study of non-living natural specimens, the adjacent Botanical Gardens (intended to be joined architecturally by a porch) would be the location for the study of living nature. Of these two institutions, only the second retains its original function. The Observatory still functioned until very recently.

The second museum, Thyssen-Bornemisza houses works that have been collected by the Thyssen-Bornemisza Family over two generations. The largest and most important part was acquired by Spain in July 1993. A selection of medieval, renaissance and baroque works of art are open to the public at the Museo Nacional de Arte De Catuluna in Barcelona. The main collection, approx. 800 works, is presented in Madrid in the Palace of Villahermosa.

Built between the end of the 18 Century and the beginning of the 19th Century, the Palace of Villahermosa, is a fine example of Madrid's neoclassical architecture. The building has been refurbished by the architect Mr. Rafael Moneo. It has been specially adapted to its new museum functions and is set up in a very easy chronological order from top to bottom and never taking a left turn.

Headed back to the Hostal Adriana for a siesta and then we are out for our last night here in Spain. We are thinking of finding a nice kepob place but there is no telling where we will end up. Our flight is at 11.30am tomorrow so may not be able to blog until I get back or at least on the plane. Prost! Yamas! Skol! Cheers! Ole! Salud!

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Photos

Goya's Most Famous Painting
This painting supposedly captures the struggles in Spain in it's most famous form.

Comments

[uhohacropol]

details
This is the some of the best use of adjectives I have seen in a long time (non-Hemingway, how ironic). Your details are explicide and interesting to read. Glad you are having fun. Travel safe! Tampa misses you.

[Chel]

Where are all the hot "SPANISH" chicas? You can find girls that look like this here ;)