{{short description|District of Madrid, Spain}} {{more citations needed|date=September 2015}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Centro | settlement_type = [[Districts of Madrid|District]] | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 12 | mapframe-point = none | imagesize = 300 | image_skyline = Madrid MG 0514 (39365149022).jpg | image_caption = | area_total_km2 = 5.23 | population_total = 149,718 | population_density_km2 = 28,587 | postal_code = 28032 | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Spain]] | subdivision_type1 = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Aut. community]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Community of Madrid]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Municipalities of Spain|Municipality]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Madrid]] | leader_title = [[City Council of Madrid#Districts|Councillor-President]] | leader_name = Carlos Segura Gutiérrez ([[People's Party (Spain)|PP]], 2023) | website = }} '''Centro''' ({{IPA|es|ˈθentɾo|}}, "Centre") is a [[Districts of Madrid|district]] of [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]. It is approximately {{convert|5.23|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} in size. It has a population of 149,718 people and a population density of {{convert|28,587|/km2|/mi2|disp=preunit|people|people|abbr=on}}. It roughly corresponds to the bulk of the housing formerly enclosed by the so-called [[Walls of Philip IV]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telemadrid.es/programas/desmontando-madrid/Madrid-historia-expansion-0-2328067179--20210401050000.html|website=[[Telemadrid]]|date=2 April 2021|first=Juan|last=Sola|title=Madrid, historia de una expansión}}</ref> The district is made up of the neighbourhoods of [[Cortes (Madrid)|Cortes]], [[Embajadores]], [[Justicia (Madrid)|Justicia]], [[Universidad (Madrid)|Universidad]], [[Palacio (Madrid)|Palacio]] and [[Sol (Madrid)|Sol]].
==History== {{see also|History of Madrid}} [[File:Madrid - Plano de 1762.jpg|thumb|left|Before the 19th century, Madrid (by and large the current-day Centro District plus the [[Jerónimos (Madrid)|Jerónimos]] neighborhood that includes the [[Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid|Buen Retiro Park]]) was enclosed by the [[Walls of Philip IV]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://webs.ucm.es/BUCM/tesis//ghi/ucm-t26467.PDF|title=Cercas, puerta y portillos de Madrid (S. XVI-XIX)|location=Madrid|publisher=[[Complutense University of Madrid|Ediciones Complutense]]|first=Luz María del|last=Amo Horga|page=89|year=2003|isbn=978-84-669-2990-5}}</ref>]] The Centro district of Madrid is the oldest section of the city. Evidence of a stable settlement dates back to Spain's Muslim period. In the second half of the 9th century, the emir of [[Emirate of Córdoba|Córdoba]], [[Muhammad I of Córdoba|Muhammad I]] (852–886), built a fortress on a promontory beside the river, the modern-day location of the [[Royal Palace of Madrid|Royal Palace]]. Its purpose was to watch the passes of the [[Sierra de Guadarrama]] and to initiate raids against the northern Christian countries. The remaining ruins of the fortress's wall are still preserved. A small suburb called Magerit developed to the east of the fortress. With the exception of the wall, few structures from this period remain.
The city passed into Christian hands in 1085, prospering into a town by 1123. [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] chose to place his court in Madrid in 1561, ensuring the swift evolution of the town. Many of the older buildings and monuments of the region known as [[El Madrid de los Austrias]] are from this period.
The [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] kings, especially Carlos III, fixated on converting Madrid into a great capital, using Paris as a model. This resulted in substantial investments in the infrastructure of the city, especially sewage and public buildings.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, with the arrival of democracy, the city continued to grow. The reign of [[Isabella II of Spain|Isabella II]] saw the construction of the [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|Congress of Deputies]] building, in [[Puerta del Sol]].
The district currently houses the central government of the [[Community of Madrid]], in Puerta del Sol. Until 2007, the City Council of Madrid was also located here, in [[Plaza de la Villa]]. At present it is located in [[Cybele Palace]], in the district of Retiro.
==Administrative neighborhoods== [[image:Barrios del Distrito Centro (Madrid).svg|thumb|Division of administrative neighborhoods in the Centro district]] Administratively, the district is divided into 6 neighborhoods ({{lang|es|barrios}}): *[[Cortes (Madrid)|Cortes]] *[[Embajadores]] *[[Justicia (Madrid)|Justicia]] *[[Universidad (Madrid)|Universidad]] *[[Palacio (Madrid)|Palacio]] *[[Sol (Madrid)|Sol]]
==Places of interest== Other informal neighborhoods and locations in the district are: {{Column list| *[[El Madrid de los Austrias|Los Austrias]] *Barrio de las Letras *[[Chueca, Madrid|Chueca]] *Conde Duque *[[Barrio de La Latina (Madrid)|La Latina]] *[[Lavapiés]] *[[Malasaña]] *Salesas *[[Puerta del Sol]] *[[Royal Palace of Madrid]] *[[Plaza Mayor, Madrid|Plaza Mayor]] *[[Gran Vía (Madrid)|Gran Vía]] *[[Plaza de España (Madrid)|Plaza de España]] *[[Plaza de Colón (Madrid)|Plaza de Colón]] *[[Paseo del Prado]] *[[Plaza de Cibeles]] *[[Plaza de Santa Ana]] }}
==Culture== The Centro district holds celebrations for several local festivals: San Antón on 17 January, "Dos de Mayo" on 2 May, San Antonio on 13 June, and Virgen de la Paloma on 15 August.<ref>{{cite web|title=Centro: Fiestas|url=http://www.madrid.es/portales/munimadrid/es/Inicio/El-Ayuntamiento/Centro/Centro?vgnextfmt=default&vgnextoid=6b57264cfffa8010VgnVCM100000dc0ca8c0RCRD&vgnextchannel=b068ca5d5fb96010VgnVCM100000dc0ca8c0RCRD|website=Centro - Ayuntamiento de Madrid|access-date=6 September 2015|language=es}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Spain}} *[[Districts of Madrid]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikivoyage|Madrid/Centro|Centro - Madrid}} * {{commons category-inline|Centro District, Madrid}} * {{in lang|es}} [http://www.madrid.es/portales/munimadrid/es/Inicio/El-Ayuntamiento/Centro?vgnextfmt=default&vgnextchannel=b068ca5d5fb96010VgnVCM100000dc0ca8c0RCRD Distrito Centro] on madrid.es * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190914045424/https://www.peterowen.com/jose-ovejero-memories-of-madrid/ Article title]}}
{{Districts of Madrid}}
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[[Category:Centro (Madrid)| ]] [[Category:Districts of Madrid]] [[Category:Central business districts|Madrid]]