Curiosities of Madrid, part XXVIII !!!

Posted in Europe, Madrid, Spain

I take you back to my dear Madrid !! love it !! I like to continue the saga of my dear  Madrid with new pictures from my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, This is again my lost walking trails of wonderful sublime Madrid, Therefore, let me tell you about curiosities of Madrid, part XXVIII !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The village of Hortaleza, whose first records date back to 1361, was probably founded in the 13C. Hortaleza means “place where orchards abound,” hence the name of this now district of Madrid since the mid-20C. The Huerta de la Salud (garden of health) was created at the end of the 19C on the site of the Quinta del Cristo de la Salud (Christ of Health Farm). In the 18C, Don Martín Fernández de Velasco, XII Duke of Frías and holder of eight other noble titles, owned the Huerta de la Salud. From that time only part of the monumental gate of access to the estate remains, the text of the inscription indicates the time of its construction: the year 1744. The enormous concrete grain silo, built in 1928, is one of the few remaining structures of the old buildings, including the gate and the silo itself. The Hortaleza Silo is a polygonal tower of unknown design with the tower 20 meters tall, divided into seven floors; now it has been turned into a venue for exhibitions and cultural events, with a reading room and a viewing platform on the top floor that can accommodate a hundred people, with views over Cuatro Torres, Barajas, and the surrounding mountains. Belonging to the Huerta de la Salud Cultural Center. Among the facilities built for its operation in 1928 was a grain silo, one of the first reinforced concrete structures in Madrid and all of Spain. Today, the Huerta de la Salud Park has several apartment blocks, and public facilities such as a cultural center and a library stand on its site. The Parque de Huerta de la Salud is reach best by bus lines 9 , and 107 ,and metro line 4 Parque de Santa Maria station coming down on Calle de Santa Virgilia, The main entrance is on Calle Mar de las Antillas,  4-8.

The Madrid tourist office on the Silo de Hortaleza : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/silo-hortaleza

The Teatro Albéniz  Theatre is one of the most centrally located theatres in Madrid, situated at no, 11 Calle de la Paz. The theatre’s inauguration on March 31, 1945, marked the arrival of a new theatre in the heart of Madrid. For the first ten years of its existence, the theater was dedicated to revue-style shows, but on February 16, 1955, it was converted into a cinema. The building and its theatrical performances enjoyed a golden age in the 1970s (during my time living there). The theater was leased by the Community of Madrid in 1985 and in subsequent seasons hosted both festivals promoted by public administrations and private theatrical productions. In December 2008, after a production of Life Is a Dream, the theater was closed. After various legal issues, under the name UMusic Hotel Madrid, it forms part of a cultural and hotel complex with 130 rooms, 898 seats, and a hall for events and performances. It reopened in November 2022 with the musical *Company*, directed by and starring Antonio Banderas. This is the first establishment of the new UMusic Hotels brand in Europe and worldwide.

The Madrid tourist office on the Hotel Teatro Albaniz: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/umusic-hotel-teatro-albeniz

The Official Hotel Teatro U Music Hotel Teatro: https://www.umusic-hotels.com/umusic-hotel-madrid/theater-albeniz

The Calle Mayor connects Puerta del Sol with Cuesta de la Vega, after crossing Calle de Bailén. Although it is barely a km long, throughout its more than six centuries of history it has had different names to describe its different sections. In the official layout, Calle Mayor ends at the Emir Mohamed Park (founder of “Mayrit” in 865),(see post), and continues along the winding layout of Cuesta de la Vega. The Edificio de la Compañía Colonial or Colonial Company Building, aka Conrado Martín Building, is a modernist building with a façade that also leans towards an eclectic style. It is located at No 16 Calle Mayor (see pic), in the Sol neighborhood of the Centro district. The Colonial Company, a business focused on chocolate and other imported goods, built the building between 1906 and 1909. It received the Madrid City Council’s architectural prize in 1908. Previously, their factory was located on the site in Plaza Cánovas del Castillo, where the Ritz Hotel now stands. The building on Calle Mayor housed a company store on its ground floor. Later, after the company closed, a Conrado Martín perfumery occupied the premises. For this reason, the building was also known as the Conrado Martín Building, although they are no longer there. The street-level premises are currently occupied by a Caixabank branch. The first floor serves as the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Naval League (RLNE), a non-profit organization whose objective is to defend Spain’s maritime interests. The RLNE offers some spaces in its headquarters for rent for events. The rest of the building is residential. Upstairs, there are three ceramic tiles dedicated to its main products: coffee, tea, and cocoa. Inside, the stained-glass windows, from the Maumejean workshop, are particularly striking. The elevator, one of the oldest in Madrid, is also preserved. Later, the company moved to the Community of Madrid region town of Pinto, where its chocolates were produced. Compañía Colonial, or “La Colonial” as it was popularly known, was founded by businessman Jaime Méric (Perpignan, France) in 1854 in Madrid, and moved to Pinto in 1866. In addition to chocolate, the company produced tea, tapioca, and coffee. It was a supplier to numerous royal houses and gained international recognition and several medals thanks to its excellence in chocolate making. It supplied the courts of Spain, Belgium, Bavaria, Brazil, Prussia, Norway, and Mexico. The Colonial Company even sold its products to Pope Pius IX.

The Madrid tourist office on the shopping Calle Mayor/Arenal : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/mayor-arenal-shopping

The Madrid tourist office on neighborhood Sol Gran Via : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/madrid-neighbourhoods/sol-gran

There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Spain, A love affairs with my Madrid, as do not know when we will be back, we sure will have this trip in our hearts forever, Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Madrid, part XXVIII !!! as I 

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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