Madrid — Capital of Spain

Madrid (population 3.3 million) is the capital and largest city of Spain, and at 667 metres above sea level it is the highest capital city in the European Union. Unlike most European capitals, Madrid has no ancient origins — it was a minor Moorish fortress town called Magerit until the Christian reconquest, and became Spain's capital only in 1561 when Philip II moved the royal court there from Toledo. Its central location made it ideal as an administrative centre for the vast Spanish Empire.

Madrid's greatest cultural treasure is the Museo del Prado, one of the world's finest art museums, housing masterworks by Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Rubens, and Titian. The city's other major museums — the Reina Sofía (home to Picasso's Guernica) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza — together form the 'Golden Triangle of Art.' Madrid's Gran Vía is Spain's most famous boulevard; its Santiago Bernabéu stadium is home to Real Madrid, one of the world's most successful football clubs. The city was heavily damaged during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) and rebuilt under Franco's dictatorship.