Puente de Vallecas was an anarchist republican stronghold during the Siege of Madrid (1937-39). Bombarded frequently by Franco’s forces, it was left to decay after the civil war. Today, it is still regenerating. Photographs (C) Essential History
Category: Madrid
Museo Sorolla, Madrid
One of Madrid’s most delightful house museums, Museo Sorolla, charts the life of Joaquin y Bastida Sorolla through his art and in his home - where he worked and lived from 1911 to 1923. Famed for being the Spanish ‘painter of light’, his impressionistic style and ability to capture the tones of the Mediterranean coastline [...]
Sights and street art of Embajadores, Madrid
The area of Embajadores is a barrios in transition. Down-at-heel at the bottom of Calle de Embajadores, gentrifying as you rise up to Plaza de Cascorro - graffiti giving way to street art, hipster barber shops and artisanal bakeries. The Fabrica De Tabacos closed in 2000, after more than two hundred years as Madrid’s main [...]
Segovia, World Heritage Site
Favoured by Madrilenos for its cool summer climate, Segovia is situated on a ridge at an elevation of over 1000 metres, giving it amazing views over the Castilian countryside. Boasting an astounding 800 metre-long Roman aqueduct dating from AD 120, the old town and aqueduct were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Astonishingly, [...]
Calle Santa Isabel, Madrid
Running down to Atocha station, C/ Santa Isabel is one of Madrid’s most ‘castizo’ of streets. Absent of tourists but possessing cool markets and bars, Madrid’s most hip cinema, an historic convent and a world-famous art gallery - it’s easy to see why. Mercado San Anton - for gourmet and regular groceries The Cine Dore [...]