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The Hotel Palace was an initiative of the Belgian-born hotelier George Marquet, following a personal suggestion from King Alfonso XIII.

The architects Edouard-Jean Niermans and Eduardo Ferrer Puig, inspired by Parisian hotels of the time, used reinforced concrete in its construction. This material allowed the project to be completed in a record time of seven months. At the time of its completion, it was the largest hotel in Europe, incorporating innovative features such as telephones, intercoms, and private toilets in each room. This set it apart from the Ritz, which, since its inception, had shared these services among several rooms.

At that time, reinforced concrete was still met with skepticism, as a recent collapse of a Canal de Isabel II project had resulted in the tragic loss of dozens of workers.

The construction style of the new hotel was a resounding success and had a significant influence on subsequent architecture in Madrid. Many new buildings that populated the newly opened Gran Vía and Calle de Alcalá in the following years were inspired by the Palace Hotel.

The construction was carried out on a trapezoidal plot of 6,000 square meters, previously occupied by the Palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli. One of the first steps in preparing the land was to create a foundation that would bridge the difference in height between Calle Medinaceli and Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, also known as Plaza de Neptuno.

The hotel was inaugurated on September 12, 1912. In 1914, it was awarded by the City of Madrid as the best-built building in the city. Over time, it has gained historical value due to its location on the neoclassical axis of the Paseo del Prado. The façade is designed in an eclectic style, which was popular at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Hotel Palace consists of a base, a main body, and a crown. The base is made of stone. The body features windows that serve the guest rooms on the first four floors, arranged in vertical axes. The crown connects the four corner towers with a steep mansard roof.

The building has six floors above ground and three subterranean levels. It occupies an entire block, bounded by the streets Duque de Medinaceli, Carrera de San Jerónimo, Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, and Cervantes, which gives rise to four façades with large windows. At each corner of the hotel, a cylindrical tower protrudes from the main structure, topped by a dome. The white color of the façade contrasts with the black slate used in the crown of the building.

Since its opening in 1912, the Palace has been a central meeting place and a key location for all significant events related to the country’s history. It has hosted meetings, parties, and other major events on both a local and international scale.

From the very beginning, the hotel has been frequented by artists, intellectuals, and politicians. The mysterious spy Mata Hari even lived in the hotel under a pseudonym, which has since been forgotten. Other famous figures who have stayed at the Palace include Federico García Lorca, Luis Buñuel, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Ava Gardner, Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, Ernest Hemingway, and bullfighters such as Belmonte, El Gallo, Manolete, and Arruza, among many others.

As with much of Madrid, the Spanish Civil War marked a turning point for the majority of its buildings (and, of course, its people). The Hotel Palace was no exception: it was requisitioned by the Republican government and converted into a hospital. In the famous Rotunda of the hotel, which had previously hosted numerous parties and elegant dances, a surgical room was established for treating wounded soldiers brought in from the nearby Ciudad Universitaria front.

The Palace also served as the headquarters for state officials who were not held captive by Tejero and his civil guards during the infamous events of February 23, 1981 (known as 23-F).

Today, the Palace continues to be a venue for all types of events. It is still frequented by artists, writers, Nobel laureates, politicians, and other significant figures from across the world. And the doormen, always dressed in livery… Nobility obliges, as the Palace is undoubtedly one of the most elegant and modern hotels in the world.

The Santiago Bernabéu has been recognized as the Best Stadium in the World for 2024 by the World Football Summit (WFS), the leading platform for the global football industry.

The award highlights “the innovative features of the Santiago Bernabéu and its ambitious vision to redefine not only the landscape of sports stadiums but also the cultural and economic fabric of Madrid.”

The accolade emphasizes the “unique innovation” implemented by FCC Construcción in various aspects of the new Santiago Bernabéu, such as the state-of-the-art retractable pitch with an underground greenhouse, a 360-degree video scoreboard that encircles the stadium’s interior, and the external digital skin that transforms it into a dynamic urban landmark.

It also acknowledges the stadium’s adaptability as a cultural and tourist hub in the heart of Spain’s capital. The Santiago Bernabéu is not just a stadium; it is a glimpse into the future of sports and entertainment venues. Its blend of cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and multifunctionality sets a new benchmark for what a modern stadium can be. It represents a turning point for the industry and is a vital asset for Madrid’s economy.

It was an important Celtiberian city, later conquered by Roman legions. From this period, numerous material remains have been preserved, including the circus, parts of the sewer system and water conduits, as well as remnants of villas and necropolises.

In the 6th century, it became the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom and the setting for the Councils of Toledo, assemblies with ecclesiastical, political, and legislative functions. Material remains from this period can be found in the Church of San Román, now the Museum of the Councils and Visigothic Culture, along with numerous decorative elements reused in later constructions.

The Muslim influence is particularly notable in the city’s layout, with a labyrinthine network of small, steep, narrow streets and blind alleys, often covered by overhangs.

From this era, significant buildings have been preserved, such as the mosques of Cristo de la Luz and Tornerías, and gates like Alfonso VI, Alcántara, and Bab-al-Mardón.

After the Christian conquest of the city in 1085, Toledo became part of the Kingdom of Castile, with King Alfonso VI committing to respect the persons and property of the Muslims.

Jews, who had been established in the city since Visigothic times, formed a prosperous community under the general policy of tolerance practiced by the Arabs. Associated with the Jewish community, the Synagogues of El Tránsito (now the Sephardic Museum) and Santa María la Blanca have been preserved, as well as part of the palace of Samuel ha-Leví, treasurer of King Peter I, the House of El Greco, and the Mikveh or ritual bath near Santa María la Blanca.

Finally, Christians who had participated in the conquest, along with religious orders, joined this social amalgam, receiving houses and gardens in the city as rewards from the king.

Toledo thus became the City of Three Cultures, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews coexisted. It was a site of rich cultural exchange, such as the School of Translators of the 12th and 13th centuries, which was instrumental in transmitting Greco-Latin and Arab culture, and the development of the Mudéjar architectural style. Examples of this style can be found in many religious buildings in the city, such as Santiago del Arrabal, the Churches of San Andrés and San Vicente, and the tower of Santo Tomé Church. Notable Mudéjar-style civil constructions include the Palacio de Fuensalida, Taller del Moro, Casa de Mesa, Palacio de Galiana, and the Puerta del Sol. These buildings were constructed using brick or masonry, adorned with beautiful wooden ceilings, plasterwork, and tiles.

In 1226, under the direction of King Ferdinand III and Archbishop Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada, construction began on the Cathedral, the only purely Gothic building of this period.

Starting in the 14th century, the atmosphere of tolerance that had characterized Toledo for the previous two centuries began to fade, particularly toward the Jewish community, which was blamed for the hardships of an era marked by severe economic and social crises.

The Catholic Monarchs, striving for political and religious unity, made two decisions that deeply impacted Toledo’s social fabric: the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition in 1485 and the 1492 Edict of Expulsion of the Jews.

One of the notable buildings from their reign is San Juan de los Reyes, a Gothic-style structure built to commemorate the Battle of Toro.

Toledo reached its peak demographic expansion in the 16th century when King Charles I made it the capital of the Spanish Empire. This was a brilliant period during which Toledo embraced the Renaissance, showcasing first-rate works under imperial patronage, complemented by that of the archbishops of Toledo, who were great promoters and patrons of architecture. This flourishing was enabled by the talents of architects like Alonso de Covarrubias, along with sculptors, painters, and artisans who continued local traditions.

The most outstanding Renaissance buildings include the Hospital de Santa Cruz, Hospital de Tavera, the Alcázar, the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra, the Puerta del Cambrón, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Convent of San Clemente.

However, this era of splendor was short-lived, as King Philip II decided in 1561 to move the capital to Madrid. From that point onward, Toledo entered a period of gradual decline. Yet, during this time, one of the most notable painters, El Greco (1541–1614), produced much of his work, which is preserved in churches and convents like the Cathedral, Santo Tomé, and Santo Domingo El Antiguo, as well as in museums like the El Greco House-Museum and the Museum of Santa Cruz.

This situation persisted until the second half of the 19th century, when the arrival of the railroad led to expansion beyond the city walls, spreading into more topographically favorable areas and giving rise to large new neighborhoods where most of the population resides today.

Toledo is an exceptional example of a city that has played multiple roles throughout history: political and administrative, reinforced in 1982 when it was named the capital of the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha; religious, as it has been the metropolitan capital of the Spanish Church since Visigothic times and the seat of the Primate Cardinal of Spain to this day; military, due to its strategic location and as the seat of the Infantry Academy since the mid-19th century; and commercial, industrial, touristic, and cultural, all of which have left a profound mark on its layout and character.