Showing 1-10 of 10 results
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11 March 2004 Memorial
This moving monument to the victims of the worst terrorist attack on European soil is partially visible from the street, but the glass tower is best viewed from below. A glass panel shows the names of those killed while the airy glass-and-perspex tower is inscribed with the messages of condolence left by well-wishers in a number of languages in the immediate aftermath of the attack. It's simple but powerful. You may have to queue to enter.
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Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Adapted from the shell of an 18th-century hospital, this museum houses the best Madrid has to offer in modern Spanish art, principally spanning the 20th century up to the 1980s. For most, the big attraction is Picasso's Guernica , but there is plenty else on offer, including Joan Miró, Vassily Kandinsky and Salvador Dalí.
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El Rastro Market
The crowded Sunday flea market was, back in the 17th and 18th centuries, largely dedicated to a meat market (the word rastro, which means stain , referred to the trail of blood left behind by animals dragged down the hill). On Sunday mornings, this is the place to be, with all of Madrid in all its diversity here in search of a bargain.
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Galería Moriarty
You know a street has the ultimate mark of approval when Galería Moriarty moves in. One of the cultural focal points of la movida madrileña in the 1980s, it still draws a cutting-edge catalogue of international and local artists.
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Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Founded by royal decree in 1867, this is one mother of a royal collection, with goodies from prehistory, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Mudéjar Spain. Keep an eye out for the sarcophagus of Amemenhat (Room 13), the Lady of Elche (20), Recesvinto's crown (29) and the Aljafería arch (30).
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Museo del Prado
Converted in 1819 from a natural history museum to a repository of Spanish art held in royal collections, the Museo del Prado hosts over 7000 works. The strongest collections are the 17th- and 18th-century Spanish paintings featuring the likes of Velázquez, Goya and Ribera. It's an artistic feast that is many visitors' main reason for visiting Madrid.
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Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Perhaps the most wide-ranging private collections of predominantly European art in the world, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is the favourite art gallery of many visitors to Madrid. All the big names are here, sometimes with just a single painting. Its easy-to-follow floor means that you can head straight to the paintings where your interest lies.
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Parque del Buen Retiro
The wonderful gardens of El Retiro are as enjoyable as any you'll find in a European city. Littered with marble monuments, landscaped lawns, the occasional elegant building and abundant greenery, it's quiet and contemplative during the week, but is transformed on weekends.
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Plaza Mayor
Madrid's imperial heart beats loudest at Plaza Mayor, the town square designed in 1619 by Juan Gómez de Mora. Popular as a site for autos-da-fe (the ritual condemnation of heretics, often followed by burning at the stake), it is now given over to those who fancy an alfresco drink or snack.
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Teleférico
One of the world's most horizontal cable cars (never more than 40m above the ground) putters out from the slopes of La Rosaleda, a delightful stand of green perched on the ridge looking out over western Madrid. The teleférico travels for 2.5km across into the depths of the Casa de Campo, Madrid's enormous green open space to the west of the city centre.
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