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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is approximately 5.23 km² (2.02 sq mi) in size. It has a population of 149,718 people and a population density of 28,587/km² (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, Justicia, Universidad, Palacio and 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. Its purpose was to watch the passes of the

Sierra de Guadarrama The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de G ...

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 El Madrid de los Austrias (English: ''The Madrid of the Austrians'' or ''the Habsburgs'') is a name used for the old centre of Madrid, built during the reign of the Habsburg Dynasty (1516–1700), known in Spain as ''Casa de Austria''. The area ...

are from this period. The Bourbon 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 clo ...

. 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 munic ...

, in Puerta del Sol. Until 2007, the City Council of Madrid was also located here, in

Plaza de la Villa The plaza de la Villa is an urban square in central Madrid, Spain. The square, bordering the Calle Mayor, houses some of the oldest buildings still around in the city. History and description It lies in the Palacio neighborhood, part of the ...

. 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 (): *

* Embajadores * Justicia * Universidad * Palacio * 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.

References

External links