

The secret behind these succulent dishes is the original wood oven, which was constructed in the early 18 th century and is powered by a fire that hasn’t been extinguished since the restaurant first opened. This fact about Madrid might surprise you! Restaurante Botin, founded in 1725, is officially the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in the world! It’s known for fantastic local delicacies such as suckling pig, a dish that Ernest Hemmingway wrote about in glowing terms when he visited back in the 1920s. Madrid is home to the oldest restaurant in the world Prior to this the Spanish monarchs used to move their court around their kingdoms, constantly changing position.

Whatever the reason, this cute image is intertwined with Madrid’s history and identity, and you can see a statue of the bear and the tree today in Puerta del Sol! Madrid didn’t become Spain’s capital until the 16 th centuryĪlthough Madrid grew to a position of some importance in the Middle Ages, it didn’t actually become Spain’s capital until 1561, when Phillip II moved his court to the city and it became the de facto centre of royal power. It is not known when or why the strawberry tree came to be associated with Madrid, although its Spanish name, madroño, bears some resemblance to madrileño, the name for Madrid’s inhabitants.

The image of the bear had been linked to Madrid since the medieval period, when knights from the city rode into battle at Las Navas de Tolosa carrying a banner that depicted a bear.ĭid you know the story of the statue of the the bear and the tree in Puerta del Sol, Madrid? The coat of arms of Madrid is one of the most unique and strange emblems in the world, consisting of a bear reaching up to a strawberry tree, surrounded by the seven stars of the constellation ‘great bear’ (Ursa Mayor). Until its departure from the EU in 2020, London was the most populous EU city, home to almost 9 million people. The only EU city with a higher population is Berlin, with 3.6 million. Madrid is one of Europe’s megacities, home to a staggering 3.2 million people. It’s the second biggest city in the European Union The only European capital with a higher elevation is Andorra la Vella, the capital of the Principality of Andorra, which is located high in the Pyrenees. It may not seem like it, but Madrid is actually one of the highest capital cities in Europe, clocking in at an elevation of 667 m above sea level. This fact about Madrid really surprised me too. It’s one of the highest capitals in Europe However, the earliest recorded name of the town is ‘Magerit’, from the Arabic meaning ‘place of water’, and this is the most likely explanation for how the city got its name. Some scholars believe it comes from a Roman settlement, ‘Matrice’, established on the Manzanares River.
