Centro is a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
of
Madrid,
Spain. It is approximately 5.23 km
2 (2.02 sq mi) in size. It has a population of 149,718 people and a population density of 28,587/km
2 (74,040/sq mi). It roughly corresponds to the bulk of the housing formerly enclosed by the so-called
Walls of Philip IV. The district is made up of the neighbourhoods of
Cortes
Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to:
People
* Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name
** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador
Places
* Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...
,
Embajadores
Embajadores is an administrative neighborhood (''barrio'') of Madrid, belonging to the Centro District.
Delimitation
The area lies in the southern part of the Centro District, the later located in the centre of the city, as its name indicates. ...
,
Justicia,
Universidad,
Palacio and
Sol
Sol or SOL may refer to:
Astronomy
* The Sun
Currency
* SOL Project, a currency project in France
* French sol, or sou
* Argentine sol
* Bolivian sol, the currency of Bolivia from 1827 to 1864
* Peruvian sol, introduced in 1991
* Peruvian sol ...
.
History
The Centro district of Madrid is the oldest section of the city. Evidence of a stable settlement dates back to Spain's Muslim period. In the second half of the 9th century, the emir of
Córdoba,
Muhammad I (852–886), built a fortress on a promontory beside the river, the modern-day location of the
Royal Palace
This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent.
Africa
* Abdin Palace, Cairo
* Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo
* Koubbeh Palace, Cairo
* Tahra Palace, Cairo
* Menelik Palace
* Jubilee Palace
* Guenete Leul Palace
* Imperial Palace- Mas ...
. Its purpose was to watch the passes of the
Sierra de Guadarrama and to initiate raids against the northern Christian countries. The remaining ruins of the fortress's wall are still preserved. A small suburb called Magerit developed to the east of the fortress. With the exception of the wall, few structures from this period remain.
The city passed into Christian hands in 1085, prospering into a town by 1123.
Philip II Philip II may refer to:
* Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC)
* Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor
* Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374)
* Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404)
* Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497)
* Philip ...
chose to place his court in Madrid in 1561, ensuring the swift evolution of the town. Many of the older buildings and monuments of the region known as
El Madrid de los Austrias are from this period.
The
Bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by B ...
kings, especially Carlos III, fixated on converting Madrid into a great capital, using Paris as a model. This resulted in substantial investments in the infrastructure of the city, especially sewage and public buildings.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, with the arrival of democracy, the city continued to grow. The reign of
Isabella II
Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868.
Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successi ...
saw the construction of the
Congress of Deputies
The Congress of Deputies ( es, link=no, Congreso de los Diputados, italic=unset) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
It has 350 members elect ...
building, in
Puerta del Sol
The Puerta del Sol ( English: "Gate of the Sun") is a public square in Madrid, one of the best known and busiest places in the city. This is the centre ('' Km 0'') of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous c ...
.
The district currently houses the central government of the
Community of Madrid
The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...
, in Puerta del Sol. Until 2007, the City Council of Madrid was also located here, in
Plaza de la Villa. At present it is located in
Cybele Palace
Cibeles Palace ( Spanish: ''Palacio de Cibeles''), formally known as Palacio de Comunicaciones (''Palace of Communications'') and Palacio de Telecomunicaciones (''Palace of Telecommunications'') until 2011, is a complex composed of two building ...
, in the district of Retiro.
Administrative neighborhoods
Division of administrative neighborhoods in the Centro district
Administratively, the district is divided into 6 neighborhoods ():
*
Cortes
Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to:
People
* Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name
** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador
Places
* Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...
*
Embajadores
Embajadores is an administrative neighborhood (''barrio'') of Madrid, belonging to the Centro District.
Delimitation
The area lies in the southern part of the Centro District, the later located in the centre of the city, as its name indicates. ...
*
Justicia
*
Universidad
*
Palacio
*
Sol
Sol or SOL may refer to:
Astronomy
* The Sun
Currency
* SOL Project, a currency project in France
* French sol, or sou
* Argentine sol
* Bolivian sol, the currency of Bolivia from 1827 to 1864
* Peruvian sol, introduced in 1991
* Peruvian sol ...
Places of interest
Other informal neighborhoods and locations in the district are:
Culture
The Centro district holds celebrations for several local festivals: San Antón on 17 January, "Dos de Mayo" on 2 May, San Antonio on 13 June, and Virgen de la Paloma on 15 August.
See also
*
Districts of Madrid
Madrid, the capital of Spain, is divided into 21 districts, which are further subdivided into 131 administrative wards. Additional neighborhoods exist outside the boundaries of administrative borders. Each district is governed by a body named ''J ...
References
External links
*
*
Distrito Centroon madrid.es
* https://www.peterowen.com/jose-ovejero-memories-of-madrid/
{{coord, 40.415347, N, 3.707371, W, type:landmark_source:itwiki, display=title
Districts of Madrid
Madrid