ounded in the 9th century as an Arab fortress, Mayrit, Madrid became Spain’s capital in 1561 under Philip II. The Habsburgs and then the Bourbons built the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace and the Paseo del Prado, where the Prado Museum opened in 1819.
After the dictatorship, the Movida of the 1980s set the city free, and Madrid became a capital of nightlife and creativity. Today you move from the art triangle (Prado, Reina Sofía, Thyssen) to La Latina’s bars, Malasaña’s shops and picnics in the Retiro.