MADRID', Sp. pron. masdren'. The capital of Spain and of the Province of Madrid in New Castile. It is situated in latitude 40° 24' N., and longitude 3° 41' W., nearly in the centre of the Kingdom, on a plateau 2100 feet above the sea, and on the left bank of the Manzanares, a small affluent of the Jarama, which latter flows into the Tagus (Map: Spain, D 2). The situation is unfavorable from almost every point of view. The surrounding plateau is treeless and bare, and almost uninhabited, and the city is exposed alike to the scorching south winds and the fierce rays of the sun in summer and to the icy north winds from the snowclad Sierra Guadarrama in winter ; the extreme annual range of temperature sometimes reaches 100'. The clearness and dry ness of the atmosphere, however, and the ex tensive plantations which have in the last half century grow n up in the suburbs make the climatic conditions less unbearable.
The old city has the form of an oval contracted at the middle, and was surrounded by a wall which was razed in 1878, thus bringing the sub urbs into the greater modern city, which is well provided with plazas, parks. and promenades. In the centre of the old city is the plaza called La Puerta del Sol, from the gate which stood there in medileval times. This is the business centre and the terminus of all the street railways. and around it are the most prominent hotels and commercial houses. In its centre are a monu mental fountain and a statue of Philip II. From here the principal streets of the city radiate in all directions. Westward run the Calle del Arena] and Calle Mayor, both leading into the large open place where is the Royal Palace, and which in the north, in front of the palace, is laid out in the plantation called Plaza de Oriente. There is the magnificent equestrian statue of Philip IV. Further west, between the palace and the river, are the royal gardens, or Campo del Moro, and from this the Puente de Segovia and the Puente del Rey lead across the river into the large royal park of Casa de Campo. Eastward from the Puerta del Sol run the Calle de Alcalil and the Carrera de an Jeronimo into the broad and magnificent boule vard which runs north and south the entire length of the city and between it and the east ern suburbs. This is one of the finest promenades in the world, is shaded by four to six rows of trees, and ornamented by a number of fountains, statues and other monuments, among which are an obelisk, and an equestrian statue of Queen Isabella. The names of the boulevard, beginning at the south. are the Paseo del Trado. Sabin del Prado. Paseo de Recoletos, and Paseo de la Castellana, and it terminates in the north at the Hippodrome. East of the Paseo are the Jardin del Buen Retiro, the Botanical Gardens, and the immense Parque de Madrid, beautifully laid out with lakes and parterres, and ornamented with fountains and statues. Among other public monu
ments should be mentioned some of the old city gates which have been left standing as triumphal arches. The chief among these is the Puerta de Alcahl in the Plaza de la Independencia, an expansion of the Calle de Alcalii east of the Paseo. It was erected in 1778 in honor of Charles Ill., and is an imposing structure pierced by five gateways, the three in the middle being a relied.
Madrid is distinctly of modern date. and it has none of the old architectural monuments boasted of by other Spanish cities. Foremost among the buildings stands the Royal Palace, on the site formerly occupied by a Moorish castle, which was renovated and used as a residence by Emperor Charles V. and the monarchs of the Hapsburg dynasty. The modern palace was planned by Philip V., begun in 1735 and occupied in 1764. It is an imposing granite structure, built on a square plan with sides 470 feet long inclosing an inner court, while two projecting wings to the south inclose the Plaza de Arras. The un even site is leveled by huge substructures of solid masonry. Above these are three basement stories, the fourth or principal floor being surrounded by a balustrade from which a series of Ionic and Doric columns reach to the roof. At the main entrance is a large patio containing statues of Roman Emperors. The interior halls and salons are superbly decorated with frescoes, paintings, and statuary. Next to the palace, the finest building in the city is that of the National Library and Museum. situated on the Paseo de Becoletos. It is a new building. finished in 1892, and is regarded as one of the handsomest of its kind in Europe. It is a large rectangular structure with a wide flight of marble steps leading from the Paseo to the main entrance; in the interior is a large reading room 90 feet square and 60 feet high. Among other secular buildings might be mentioned the City Hall, and the buildings de voted to the departments of the Government, espe cially that of the Ministry of War. which occu pies the vast palace formerly the residence of the Dukes of Alba, and the large and handsome building near the Betiro Park, occupied by the Ministries of Public Works. Agriculture, Indus tries. and Education. The two Houses of the Legislature meet in separate buildings, the Sen ate occupying an old Augustinian convent which has been restored. - The Bank of Spain and the Royal Exchange occupy new and monumental buildings. The most notable of the churches is probably that of San Francisco el Grande, built in the eighteenth century, and recently subjected to an extensive restoration. Its main body is circular, surmounted by a grand cupola, and with two lateral towers.