Community of Madrid
Heart of the Empire, Crossroads of All Spains
Madrid, chosen as Spain's capital in 1561 simply because it sat at the geographic center of the peninsula, transformed from a dusty Moorish fortress into the command center of the world's first global empire. Today, this restless, nocturnal city harbors the Prado, the Reina Sofía, and a spirit of openness born from being the place where all of Spain's regional cultures meet and merge.