Some capital cities of the world sprang up near natural harbours and have long served as bustling ports. Others are situated at well-used river crossings and grew to prominence almost inevitably. Many European capitals have been important cities since Roman times. But Madrid, the capital of Spain, is an exception. The town had fewer than 10,000 inhabitants in 1561 when it suddenly rose to prominence.
The reason was simple. Phillip II, King of Spain and of a vast overseas empire, had grown weary of moving his court from one city of Castile to another. A keen hunter, he wanted to have his permanent court located at a convenient distance from his favourite hunting grounds. Madrid met that requirement admirably, and the town also had good water, room for expansion and fertile farmland in the vicinity.
Once the decision was made, Philip initiated a building program to make Madrid a suitable capital.

***A Green City***
********************
Because of the royal interest in hunting and gardens, an ample greenbelt was already conserved when Madrid began its modern expansion. Despite rapid urban growth in recent decades, huge wedge of parkland extends southward from the sierra practically to the gates of the city centre. One of Madrids parklands, a former royal hunting ground called the Casa de Campo is located near the royal palace and it now houses a modern zoo. To the north of Madrid lies a vast area of indigenous oak forest known as the hill of El Pardo, which reaches to within six miles of the city centre.

Charles III, an 18th century king who took a keen interest in art and science, established the Royal Botanic Gardens alongside Retiro Park. For the last two and half centuries, the gardens have specialized in the flora of central and South America.

 Prado Museum; A painting in the Prado Museum depicts a vivid panorama of the plaza Mayor during a large auto-da-fe, or public trial of heretics, held in Madrid in 1680.

As Madrid expanded, kings of the Bourbon dynasty - notably Charles III - built or promoted other monuments' often following the architectural styles of the Bourbons native France. Some examples are the Royal Palace, the National Library, the Municipal Museum, the Fountain of Cybele, the fountain of Neptune and the Puerta de Alcala.

In the 17th century, the court painter Velazquez not only painted masterpieces himself but also scoured Europe to buy fine paintings for his royal patron, Philip IV. In the following century, Francisco de Goya became the official court painter. Not surprisingly, the Prado owns many masterpieces painted by these two renowned artists.
Two other highly regarded art collections - the Thyssen - Bornemisza Museum and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia National Museum - stand on the same tree - lined avenue as the
Prado. This elegant street, dubbed the Avenue of Art, is also studded with many of Madrid's famous statues.

Madrids charter, dating back to 1202, stipulated among other things that citizens could not engage in duels, bear arms or utter profanities or insults. They were also expected to keep the town cleaned to avoid defrauding fellow citizens and to keep wedding expenses reasonable. In line with such wishes, Madrid today is clean city - although wedding feasts have become somewhat costly! Visitors who want to try some typical tapas, small morsels of tasty food that are served with a cold drink (yeah get it down ya!) in many establishments.
In recent years Madrid has expanded considerably. It now has an efficient transportation system and the entire necessary infrastructure to take care of the millions of tourist who visit each year.