MADRID and Center of Spain

The capital of Spain, located in the heart of the peninsula and right in the center of the Castillian is a cosmopolitan city, a business center, headquarteers for the Public Administration, Government, Spanish Parliament and the home of the Spanish Royal Family, Madrid also plays a major role in both the banking and industrial sectors. Madrid is characterized by intense cultural and artistic activity and a very lively nightlife.
The grand metropolis of Madrid can trace its origins to the times of Arab Emir Mohamed I (852-886), who ordered the construction of a fortress on the left bank of the Manzanares River. When Philip II oredered to move to Madrid the royal court, this city started to grow constantly until now. What remains today of the distant past are mainly the Baroque and neoclassical structures of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) and others which will be described later during our tours of the city.