Madrid: an historical description and handbook of the Spanish capital

Madrid is but a nursling among the cities of Spain. Marius Fulvius laid siege to Toledo nearly two centuries before the birth of Christ, and it is not until a thousand years later that we find the first historical mention of Madrid. Despite the flattering and dignified official epithets that have been bestowed upon it, Madrid possesses many natural features which militate against its popularity as a residential center; but, despite its isolated and elevated position and the treacherousness of its climate, the city has not deserved the strictures that have been passed upon it by captious and prejudiced critics. For Madrid... Next