20 CURIOSITIES OF MADRID

Do you know why Madrid people are called cats? And what is the longest street in the capital? And that there is a subway station built on human remains? These and others are the curiosities of Madrid what we tell you in this article.

If you are, like us, of those who always go in search of rare and curious data, you are in luck ... here are 20 curiosities of Madrid

1. The narrowest house It is located at number 61 of the Calla Mayor and was, nothing more and nothing less, than the Calderón de la Barca residence.

2. The symbol of Madrid is the “bear and the arbutus”, You will know that. What you may not know is its meaning. There are those who think that the bear is really a bear and represents the constellation of the Big Dipper. But there are also those who say that the bear represents itself (and it is that before Madrid became a huge city, there were bears in the area). And the madroño? You guessed, it was a tree that abounded a lot where buildings abound now.

3. In the years '20 Madrid had the tallest skyscraper in Europe: it was the Telefónica building. But it also has another award, from there there was the first Spanish call across the pond. The protagonists? King Alfonso XIII and the president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge. Surely if you've seen the series "The Girls of Cable" sounds like something to you.

4. The Alcala street It is the longest in the city (it has about 10 km of extension), while the shortest is the Street Breakers (with only 20 meters).

5. Did you know that there is a Egyptian temple in Madrid? We talked about the Temple of Debod, a gift from the Egyptian government to thank Spain for its help and commitment to save the temples of Nubia (which were to disappear with the construction of the Asuan Dam). The sunset from there is one of the best in the capital.

6. One of the typical foods of Madrid is the squid sandwich. And how a snack of a product of the sea, so many hundreds of km from the city, is one of the most beloved dishes? There are many theories, many believe that it was from the wave of Andalusian emigrants, and that, being the squid a cheap and simple product to prepare ... triumphed! Anyway, how delicious it is!

7. A somewhat macabre curiosity: the Tirso de Molina metro station It has remains of monks who once lived in a convent located right there. When they died they were buried in a cemetery that was under the subway. They say that at midnight you can hear the laments of the monks.

8. The Prado Museum, one of the most loved by Madrid, suffered a fire that ... never happened. On the cover of the newspaper El Liberal a false news came out that alerted (and much) the population. Luckily it was a false alarm!

9. What he suffered was a itent of asault by a very unskilled thief: he fell from the roof of the museum before even entering. When the body was found, a note was discovered in his pocket, which related the conditions that would have to be met to recover the works of art (never) stolen.

10. One of the oldest restaurants in the world (there are even those who say the most) is the Nephew of Botín Restaurant. It opened in 1725 and is very close to the Plaza Mayor.

11. Did you know that there are remains of the Berlin wall in Madrid? They are located in the Berlin Park (coincidence: the bear is also a symbol of the German capital).

12. Sundays in Madrid are synonymous with Trail, one of the most popular markets in Spain. But do you know why it's called that? There were numerous slaughterhouses and, aiiiins, it was not uncommon to find "traces" of the animals' blood down the street.

13. In the Sun Gate is the km O, from which the distances to all points of Spain are measured.

14. One of our favorite places in Madrid, the Circle of Fine Arts, it has a huge statue of 6 meters (and about 3,000 kg) that represents Minerva, the Goddess of wisdom, art and military strategies.

15. The Madrid's royal palace It has a record: it is the largest in the European West, even more than Buckingham.

16. At the beginning of the 20th century the Cervantes coffee It was one of the most successful places in the capital. Everything changed as a result of a hoax ... it was said that a marquise of the neighborhood used to take a bath of cow's milk and that, to make the eccentric whim profitable, she would resell the milk at a very cheap price to the business owner who, supposedly, prepared the coffees with her.

17. If you look at the Streetlamps of the Plaza Mayor You can admire their relays, which tell the stories and events that happened in the square in the past.

18. To the born in Madrid they are called "cats" Cast? The term is due to a soldier of the troops of Alfonso VI who, in 1083, were trying to conquer Mayrit (the Arab citadel where Madrid was later born). Suddenly the agile soldier began to climb the wall and the king looked at him in amazement saying that "he looks like a cat". How did the story end? They reconquered the city!

19. In the Penal Code from 1928 it was decreed that he was It is forbidden to compliment the penalties ranged from fines of 40 to 500 pesetas to prison days! Graceful claims soon appeared on the city walls, such as "Goodbye Vicenta, I don't tell you anything for fear of the forties."

20. In the Retirement park there is a statue of Satan himself. This is the Monument of the Fallen Angel and flip! It is exactly 666 meters above sea level.

Sure there are many curiosities of Madrid more, but these 20 are a beginning, right? If you know any curious, mysterious or funny data from the Spanish capital, leave us a comment 🙂

* Photocredit: Shutterstock

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