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Origins of Madrid (1/2 Day)

This half-day visit will allow you to discover the most monumental aspect of the historic neighborhoods of Madrid. In 1561 Madrid became the new capital of Spain and its colonial empire during the period of economic growth known as "Golden Age". This growth was essentially due to trade with the South American colonies. The Habsburgs commissioned the construction of new buildings and infrastructures to demonstrate their power and wealth, changing public spaces and adding buildings of monumental character, in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. Due to the origin of their lineage, the Habsburgs remained forever known as the House of the Austrias.

We will start the walk to the Plaza de Oriente, where we can find the Royal Palace of Madrid. We will enter the building and visit the salons of greater importance, such as the Throne Room, or the world-famous Hall of the Stradivarius. Very close to the palace, a little hidden from the movement of tourists, we find the Royal Armory, a place that reminds us of the incredible war power of the Spain of the Austrians that one day controlled 10% of the global territory.

Since we are looking to learn a little more about the origins of Madrid, we will visit the San Isidro Museum, which will allow us to discover much more about the history of the city, especially through a model of the evolution of it in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as other curiosities of this fascinating metropolis.

Leaving this municipal museum with a renewed knowledge, nothing could be better than walking through some of these same streets, while discovering such important places as the Plaza de la Villa, with its Casa de Cisneros in Gothic-Mudejar style or the Casa de Lujanes.

We will end the day in the Plaza Mayor, and we will get to know this monumental space, as well as some of its most representative components such as the statue of Felipe III, or the Houses of the Butchery and the Bakery.

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