I hope starting two series, one of the neighbourhood I am living in, Tetuan. It is situated in the northern part of Madrid. There is one photo posted last month.
In contrast to Tetuan this picture shows the extension against south-east. Nearby the ancient village of Vallecas has grown the new town of Vallecas, an aggregation of thousands of new homes for young families.
This is one of Madrid's railroad-stations - the most famous one. Currently it consists of three parts, the original old station, you can see it in the foreground, the first extension in the background and the second extension behind the first one, not visible in the photograph.
The oldest part was inaugurated in 1851 with a train connection to the zone of Aranzuela in the south of Madrid. It was a terminus that had not had any connectivity to other railway-lines like the northern (to Valladolid) or north-eastern (to Burgos and Vitoria) railway-line.
In 1992 opened the first extension, started in 1985 with the competition won by architect Rafael Moneo. 1992 was the year of Sevilla's World Exposition, and Spain's national railway-company started the highspeed connection between Madrid and the andalusian town. The station concourse was transformed in a 4000 squaremeter botanic garden, a greenhouse with tropic palms and lots of flowers.
In 2009 and 2011 were opened the last extensiones, first the suburbian connection to the northern Chamartin-station, guided by tunnels, and later the southern extension by the same Moneo.
If you open the New York Times or other newpapers today, you can find information of this happening, this movement that is going on here in Madrid. People are meeting since may 15th, one week before the elections of today, to manifest themselves against the strong two party monopol and the poor government's interest in the unemployment of the youth (nearly 45% of the 25 to 35 years olds have no job). Afterwards I will tell you more. Now I have to go to vote.
I am sorry for the big contrast in this photo but it was early in the morning, just at sunrise.
This rest home* in the northern centre of Madrid is a nice example for the kind of construction of the 1910s here. Originally designed in 1912 and built in 1915, it got its church in the thirties. Now it forms part of the city, but prior it was outside the limits of the town. Nevertheless the immediate surroundings are keeping its suburbian style. And it is only 500 metres from the Bernabeu-stadium away! Designed by Manuel Martínez Ángel, the two wings had accommodated sick persons, separated according to sexes. In the central part were situated the original church and the offices.
* What an ugly name for the last residencial of our old people, our parents, grandpas... You know a better word for these buildings?
Today I show you the less famous backside of the Bernabeu-stadium. Surprise: It is worth to go behind the famous stadium. You will find a fine church from the early 1960s, with its polygonal floor adapting forms formerly used in the Spanish pavillon in Brussels by the architects Corrales y Molezún. This church, called Sacred Hearts, was build between 1962 and 1965 by Rodolfo García and had a strong visual impact in the same-called square.
Today I went to an extraordinary exposition which joins photographs from many of the ibero-american countries, like Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico and Spain. An overview you find on: http://www.laberintodemiradas.net .
The exposition is arranged thematically in: Identities and frontiers, Conflicts and Photographic collectives. If you are in Madrid I suggest you to take to have a look to this free-entry exposition until may 15th.
You are arriving at Madrid, have a walk through Madrid and comes across this square: Callao what? Spaniards often let a letter, the spoken d, you know: cansado-cansao, alicatado-alicatao, callado-callao, Callao. I thougt. And 'callado/callao' means 'quiet'. But it is not true. There was a battle in Spanish-Southamerican War in 1866, the Battle of Callao, named by the peruan city of Callao. That's it.
... said the Councillor for Environment Ana Botella yesterday, asked for the highest value of NO2 in the air. Do you think the same way? I don't. (My bicycle is parked in the stack meanwhile and I have to go by subway.)
This is Castilla Plaza - the main square of Madrid's northern neighbourhood Chamartín. I was in luck to take this shot out from a terrace in a close building. Tr3tna did show you the KIO-Towers in an older post yet, a great work of the architects Philip Johnson y John Burgee, and the first inclined towers in the world. In the centre there is a 92m monument of a savings bank, designed by the Valencian engineer Santiago Calatrava from 2010. In my opinion put it here is a pity, rejecting all the greatness and smart balance the KIO-Towers have with a simple vertical statement. Now the square is really overloaded, don't you think so?
One of the most famous buildings by Fernando Higueras Díaz (1930-2008) is this ensemble of buildings for a military living-association, erected between 1968 and 1974. This house beside the roundabout of San Bernardo shows the main themes Higueras used to employ in his buildings: white concrete and plants all over the house. All the construction occupies a extended site, that is why Higueras decided to split the building and introduce a small street in the backyard.
There is an avenue that smells like city, looks like metropolis and sounds like urban life. The Great Way (La Gran Vía) is the most impressive and the most consequent pathway Madrid has - here I took a photo in the morning going to a building site I have nearby. This fog is nice picturally, isn't it? Once I will tell you about the building in the back - the Capitol, one of the most significant in the capital of Spain.
500m, 1.000m, 1.500m, 2.000m. Arriving at "La Dehesa de la Villa", something like "The Grove of the Town", a small rest of a typical iberian pinewood, I can enjoy this fantastic view: Lots of peaks, part of the skyline of the matutinal Madrid. The Lighthouse of Moncloa (Faro de Moncloa) in the center and the Headquarters of the Spanish Airforce on the left, with its 4 towers, typical of the Escorial-Castle-Style. 2.500m, 3.000m, ...
Famous Real Madrid's home-stadium is located in the northern part of Madrid, nearby the extended part of the Castellana-Avenue. It is called Santiago Bernabeu since 1955 in honour of the former president of the soccer-club. Built as Chamartin-stadium in 1947, it was remodeled in 1982 and in 1992. The last operation was leaded by the team of Estudio Lamela and the stadium gathered up to 80.354 seats, all covered by roofs.
Well guys (and girls): I want to wish you a Merry Christmas because today I will go to Berlin where lives my family. Have a good time, take care of your beloved people and try to relax.
See you soon. Yours, Martin
Yes fellows, we are back. This time not for one post only. We promise to be more continous. There were a lot of people worried about us - thank you all but we are fine. Certain circumstances avoid to spend more time with this blog, so we apologize to you.
The church you see is a community-church of the Tetuán-neighbourhood nearby the Bernabeu-stadium. It is one example for the fine architecture from the end of the sixties you find in Madrid.
One of the most famous buildings of architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza the BBVA-Building (originally called Bank of Bilbao) is the entrance-sign of AZCA-Comercial and Office-complex. This building, designed in 1971, was errected between 1978 and 1981. In this photo the less-known entrance on the back-side.
The old three-cornered complex of "Escuelas Pías de San Antón" with church, convent and the beautiful foutain Galapagos (fuente galápagos) will be cleared of all internal structure, achieving only the church and fachades with the foutain.Beside of the chamber it will be contain a library and a públic swimming-pool and better the social condicions of the neighbourhood.
Like every year the art department of the local government had organized Bread and Games for the masses. Because we are we went, too.
Thousands of people saw illuminated streets, parks and avenues like the Gran Vía you can appreciate down this lines. Various artists presented their work all over the capital. See more in http://lanocheenblanco.esmadrid.com .
Another view to Plaza de Colón (Columbus square). In the background the Colon Building, in the foreground Barclays Bank and the conversion of an 70th administrative building with a contemporary fachade. In the undergroud floor is situated the Madrid wax museum. The three building, two of them with concrete elements, the new one with light metalic sheets.
We are back. Back with urban damages like the one you can "appreciate" in this picture. Winner of an architectural competition the young authors do not know to realize it in the urban context. Who is to blame? The jury, the architects, the promotor? I do not know. It looks like a conversion of an old building whose green garden had been converted into a (beautiful) metalic fence.
In Gay's Proud (Orgullo gay) some buildings change dresses to be more comfortable. Here one of the room-mate hotels, all called with unique names. Days we have to go out for sleep because there are crowdes of people and lots of decibels. If you have been ever in Spain you know what I am talking about.
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