A capital between glory and chaos.

A historical walk through the scenes of the 16th and 17th centuries. Madrid as the capital of a new Empire and the epicenter of a historic drama: the creation of the Habsburg Empire under Charles I and Philip II, the decline of Spanish power in the 17th century, the religious fanaticism of the Inquisition, the bloom of the Arts in the Golden Age of Spanish culture.

Plaza Mayor, Convento de las Descalzas Reales, Puerta del Sol – emblematic sites where to this day you can see the imprint of politics at a global level. The glare and misery in the new center of power. Foundation of convents, royal art collections, baroque pomp. But also a housing shortage, urban chaos, crime, prostitution and the daily life of the popular classes. A walk towards the lights and shadows of this great era in the history of Madrid.

After the deplorable end of the Habsburgs, a new dynasty is imported from Versailles: the Bourbons. Despite the ruin of the State coffers, the new monarchs get to work. The urban sanitation of Madrid begins according to models of the European Enlightenment. Public buildings, sumptuous squares, academies, headquarters of scientific institutions and much more are constructed. But just as with the Habsburgs, Spain does not escape the tragedies of history neither with the Bourbons: war against Napoleon, absolutist dictatorship, civil wars.

This walk through the historical center takes us to the Muslim origins of the capital, its late medieval history and of course to the glorious era of the Habsburgs. But it also illustrates more recent events and evolutions: economic crisis, youth unemployment, real estate speculation, gentrification, etc.