DOI article:
Burno, Filip: Metropolia, "stolica narodu" i centrum hispanidad: architectura Madrytu 1850-1975
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14577#0194
188
FILIP BURNO
METROPOLIS, "CAPITAL OF THE NATION" AND THE HISPANIDAD CENTRE.
MADRID ARCHITECTURE 1850-1975
Abstract
The begirmings of the process that transformée! Madrid into a modern city should be looked for in the mid-19th century. The
stimulus to rebuild and modernise the city was provided by the rénovation of Paris (from 1852) and Vienna (from 1857). Thus the
model was an ordered urban space facilitating circulation of goods and people as well as providing entertainment (for the upper
classes) in leisure time.
In the second half of the 19th century the number of Madrid's inhabitants was growing systematically. At that time, the hier-
archical division of the city, évident already on Castro's plan, got fixed. At the end of the 19th century Madrid's best and most elegant
area was the vicinity of The Plaża de Cibeles and two avenues: Recoletos and Castellana. A new city's centre was to allow for pleas-
urable leisure time rather than to emphasise the strength of the state and importance of the bourgeoisie.
An introduction of visual order was not limited to the centre area. In the second half of the 19th century modern hospitals and
a "model prison" were built in the north west outskirts of Madrid. Also new necropoleis were being situated on the city's outskirts.
Madrid's représentative buildings of the second half of the 19th century were modelled on the officiai state architecture of the
French Second Empire, but also on the monumental buildings of the Viennese Ring. The biggest banks, as well as commercial, min-
ing and shipping partnerships had their head offices in the city. Madrid architecture of Great Capital, like state buildings, was most
often modelled on the forms of académie historicism.
Many public buildings were build in Madrid at the turn of the 19th century, decorated with sculptured and painted décorations
of "patriotic" iconographie programme, based, among other things, on "the cult of Great Spaniards". At that time also many aristo-
cratie and bourgeois palaces were built. These urban résidences were fitted with the most fashionable "architectural costumes". By
the end of the 1860s Madrid saw palaces "in French taste". But in Madrid's palaces being built at that time there were also référ-
ences to the local tradition. Forms of Arabian architecture of Andalusia enjoyed a great popularity.
The turn of the 19th century brought about new trends into Madrid's architecture. We сап find in the city many interesting
examples of Art Nouveau. Modernisme, however, turned out to be an ephemeral phenomenon and its popularity faded out circa
1910. At that time Spanish architectural community discussed the problem of national style (estilo national). At the beginning of the
191 Os the most popular national style was regionalism (regionalismo). A new "Spanish style" was to be built on the basis of the old,
traditional local forms from individual Spanish régions, often combined together. This trend inscribes into the broader phenomenon
of пео-vernacuralism that emerged in the European and American architecture of the turn of the 19th century.
The rénovation of the city's centre and the création of its new image were especially intense in 1915-1921, so, in the period of
économie boom which Spain owed to its neutrality during the Great World War. A majority of imposing buildings erected in ca 1910-
-1930 was given décorative neo-style façades. Spanish architects were very well-informed about the state-of-the-art technological con-
striction solutions. Yet, to the early 1930s the centres of large Spanish cities were dominated by académie Classicism and Neo-Baroque.
American skyscrapers became symbols of modernity in Spain around 1910. In the first décades of the 20th century in Span-
ish culture, like in all contemporary Western culture, the fascination with metropolises was accompanied by criticism of large cities
developed as a resuit of the industrial révolution.
Monumental Classicising and Baroquising architecture was especially popular in times of Miguel Primo de Rivera's dictator-
ship, in 1923-1930. At that time it was almost an officiai state style. In the mid-1920s those neo-style forms were increasingly criti-
cised. In particular by architects of the younger génération, born circa 1900, who travelled throughout Europe and were influenced
by Avant-Garde architecture. They rejected all références to historical forms. They were fascinated by the new aesthetics of the age
of "cinéma, jazz, aéroplane and automobile".
The architecture of Madrid of the 1940s was dominated by two trends: strong influences of fascist Italy and Nazi Germany,
and historicising Neo-Herrerian style.
In the mid-1950s Spain saw a libéralisation in culture after the Francoits state had "opened to the world". Modern forms were
more and more courageously introduced in architecture.
In Madrid we could find many interesting examples of différent varieties of late modernist architecture. Most évident in
Madrid's modernism is, above all, the fascination with the organie architecture of Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright and Hans Henry
Scharoun. At the turn of the 1950s Spanish architects were greatly inspired by the late works of Le Corbusier.
Franco's "policy of thaw" and the National Stabilisation Plan of 1959 opened the country to foreign investments. The period of
économie boom and économie development began which brought about an intense growth of large cities. Architecture and urban planning
had a great impact on the création of a new image for Franco's Spain. Here, we have to do with an interesting example of the incorporation of
Modernism into the officiai state strategy. The Spanish architecture of the 1960s, which were called the "Years of Growth" (Ańos de Desar-
rollo), was dominated by forms of that international Modernism. Naturally, this domination not caused merely by the state leadership.
The activity of urban planners of ca 1955-1975 rcsulted in numerous disadvantageous changes both in the city's centre and its
outskirts. Madrid's architecture suffered from the urgency to build much and fast. Large districts hurriedly built, with cheap apart-
ments, had no squares, plazas, parks or playgrounds for children. The urban space created at that time was inhospitable to inhabit-
ants, with large car parks. The historical part of Madrid was encircled by broad arteries leading to sleeping districts. In the city's
centre there were built many street overpasses. The end of Franco's dictatorship (1975) coincided with changes in culture (e.g. La
Movida Madrilena - The Madrilenian Groove Scène), but also in architecture and urban planning (breaking away from functional
zoning, restoration of the value of traditional outskirt quarters). For the last three décades the city's authorities, architects and social
organisations have attempted to improve the city through, among other things, restoring to Madrid's plazas their function of meet-
ing places, or revitalising neglected outskirts.
Translated by Grażyna Waluga
FILIP BURNO
METROPOLIS, "CAPITAL OF THE NATION" AND THE HISPANIDAD CENTRE.
MADRID ARCHITECTURE 1850-1975
Abstract
The begirmings of the process that transformée! Madrid into a modern city should be looked for in the mid-19th century. The
stimulus to rebuild and modernise the city was provided by the rénovation of Paris (from 1852) and Vienna (from 1857). Thus the
model was an ordered urban space facilitating circulation of goods and people as well as providing entertainment (for the upper
classes) in leisure time.
In the second half of the 19th century the number of Madrid's inhabitants was growing systematically. At that time, the hier-
archical division of the city, évident already on Castro's plan, got fixed. At the end of the 19th century Madrid's best and most elegant
area was the vicinity of The Plaża de Cibeles and two avenues: Recoletos and Castellana. A new city's centre was to allow for pleas-
urable leisure time rather than to emphasise the strength of the state and importance of the bourgeoisie.
An introduction of visual order was not limited to the centre area. In the second half of the 19th century modern hospitals and
a "model prison" were built in the north west outskirts of Madrid. Also new necropoleis were being situated on the city's outskirts.
Madrid's représentative buildings of the second half of the 19th century were modelled on the officiai state architecture of the
French Second Empire, but also on the monumental buildings of the Viennese Ring. The biggest banks, as well as commercial, min-
ing and shipping partnerships had their head offices in the city. Madrid architecture of Great Capital, like state buildings, was most
often modelled on the forms of académie historicism.
Many public buildings were build in Madrid at the turn of the 19th century, decorated with sculptured and painted décorations
of "patriotic" iconographie programme, based, among other things, on "the cult of Great Spaniards". At that time also many aristo-
cratie and bourgeois palaces were built. These urban résidences were fitted with the most fashionable "architectural costumes". By
the end of the 1860s Madrid saw palaces "in French taste". But in Madrid's palaces being built at that time there were also référ-
ences to the local tradition. Forms of Arabian architecture of Andalusia enjoyed a great popularity.
The turn of the 19th century brought about new trends into Madrid's architecture. We сап find in the city many interesting
examples of Art Nouveau. Modernisme, however, turned out to be an ephemeral phenomenon and its popularity faded out circa
1910. At that time Spanish architectural community discussed the problem of national style (estilo national). At the beginning of the
191 Os the most popular national style was regionalism (regionalismo). A new "Spanish style" was to be built on the basis of the old,
traditional local forms from individual Spanish régions, often combined together. This trend inscribes into the broader phenomenon
of пео-vernacuralism that emerged in the European and American architecture of the turn of the 19th century.
The rénovation of the city's centre and the création of its new image were especially intense in 1915-1921, so, in the period of
économie boom which Spain owed to its neutrality during the Great World War. A majority of imposing buildings erected in ca 1910-
-1930 was given décorative neo-style façades. Spanish architects were very well-informed about the state-of-the-art technological con-
striction solutions. Yet, to the early 1930s the centres of large Spanish cities were dominated by académie Classicism and Neo-Baroque.
American skyscrapers became symbols of modernity in Spain around 1910. In the first décades of the 20th century in Span-
ish culture, like in all contemporary Western culture, the fascination with metropolises was accompanied by criticism of large cities
developed as a resuit of the industrial révolution.
Monumental Classicising and Baroquising architecture was especially popular in times of Miguel Primo de Rivera's dictator-
ship, in 1923-1930. At that time it was almost an officiai state style. In the mid-1920s those neo-style forms were increasingly criti-
cised. In particular by architects of the younger génération, born circa 1900, who travelled throughout Europe and were influenced
by Avant-Garde architecture. They rejected all références to historical forms. They were fascinated by the new aesthetics of the age
of "cinéma, jazz, aéroplane and automobile".
The architecture of Madrid of the 1940s was dominated by two trends: strong influences of fascist Italy and Nazi Germany,
and historicising Neo-Herrerian style.
In the mid-1950s Spain saw a libéralisation in culture after the Francoits state had "opened to the world". Modern forms were
more and more courageously introduced in architecture.
In Madrid we could find many interesting examples of différent varieties of late modernist architecture. Most évident in
Madrid's modernism is, above all, the fascination with the organie architecture of Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright and Hans Henry
Scharoun. At the turn of the 1950s Spanish architects were greatly inspired by the late works of Le Corbusier.
Franco's "policy of thaw" and the National Stabilisation Plan of 1959 opened the country to foreign investments. The period of
économie boom and économie development began which brought about an intense growth of large cities. Architecture and urban planning
had a great impact on the création of a new image for Franco's Spain. Here, we have to do with an interesting example of the incorporation of
Modernism into the officiai state strategy. The Spanish architecture of the 1960s, which were called the "Years of Growth" (Ańos de Desar-
rollo), was dominated by forms of that international Modernism. Naturally, this domination not caused merely by the state leadership.
The activity of urban planners of ca 1955-1975 rcsulted in numerous disadvantageous changes both in the city's centre and its
outskirts. Madrid's architecture suffered from the urgency to build much and fast. Large districts hurriedly built, with cheap apart-
ments, had no squares, plazas, parks or playgrounds for children. The urban space created at that time was inhospitable to inhabit-
ants, with large car parks. The historical part of Madrid was encircled by broad arteries leading to sleeping districts. In the city's
centre there were built many street overpasses. The end of Franco's dictatorship (1975) coincided with changes in culture (e.g. La
Movida Madrilena - The Madrilenian Groove Scène), but also in architecture and urban planning (breaking away from functional
zoning, restoration of the value of traditional outskirt quarters). For the last three décades the city's authorities, architects and social
organisations have attempted to improve the city through, among other things, restoring to Madrid's plazas their function of meet-
ing places, or revitalising neglected outskirts.
Translated by Grażyna Waluga