Public Space in Madrid

Madrid is an extremely old city, it has been the capital of Spain since 1561, when Philip II decided to move his court here. It is also a very dense city, with this density being accumulated over hundreds of years, with many kings and royals influencing the makeup of its urban fabric. Many new buildings were constructed under the reign of Charles III (from 1759-1788), and he also put up gates, trees and avenues. After him, Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, broke up some of the density by creating new public squares. Though Madrid is home to many diverse architectural styles, both old and new, it never was subject to any large modernizing urban planning project. Unlike Haussman´s Paris, many of the streets still remain thin, winding, and cobblestoned. However, the one modernizing project that was built was Gran Via in 1910. This street remains as a large transportation artery of the city, allowing residents to move quickly from one side of the city to the other. To make sure that historical buildings and spaces were preserved in the modern era, The General Ordinance Plan of Madrid was created in 1982. This plan allowed for the preservation of many old buildings and public spaces, which also preserved a certain quality of street life for the residents of the city.

One of the public spaces I am interested in researching is Plaza Dos de Mayo, which is located in the neighborhood of Malasaña. It is considered to be the more youthful and rebellious neighborhood of Madrid, where many young people hang out. Plaza Dos de Mayo was named after the uprising that happened on May 2nd, 1880, against the French troops that were occupying Madrid at the time. There is a statue of the two young army captains that led this revolt, Daoiz and Velarde, in the middle of the square. The original name of Malasaña was actually Barrio de las Maravillas, after a convent of Carmelite monks whose icon was the Virgen de las Maravillas, but the name was changed in 1961. It is named after a seventeen year old girl named Manuela Malasaña, who participated in the uprising and was executed by French soldiers. 

Malasaña is also known for being the site of one of the most famous countercultural movements in Spain, also known as the Movida Madrileña. This movement burgeoned after the death of Franco in November of 1975, with the participants of La Movida rebelling against the vestiges that remained of his dictatorship, paving the way for a new, modern era in Spain. The streets and bars of Malasaña were spaces of resistance and newfound freedom. Many famous musicians and artists were associated with this movement, including Alaska, Los Secretos, Mecano, Hombres G, Servando Caballar, Ouka Leele, Pablo Perez Miguez, Alberto Garcia-Alix, Lolo Rico, and Pedro Almodovar. To be clear though, La Movida did not occur immediately after the death of Franco, it took a couple of years for Spain to rid itself from some of the most suffocating rules of this era. Homosexuality was not decriminalized until 1979, and women were still subject to a 9pm curfew for a couple years after Franco´s death. Some of the parties and shows were also broken up by guardsmen. However, by 1981, the city was now led by a Marxist mayor named Enrique Tierno Galvan, who was actually a big supporter of La Movida. 

The famous film director Pedro Almodovar got his start at this point in time, releasing his first feature film; Pepi, Luci, Bom y otros chicas del monton in 1980. This film was actually shot in several of the hangouts of the era, including many in Malasaña. The photographers Ouka Leele and Alberto Garcia-Alix also played large roles in documenting the players of La Movida. These photographers also documented the darker sides of the movement, including the very prevalent use of drugs such as heroin. By the mid-80s, many people involved had passed away due to AIDS and overdoses. By the end of the 1980s, elements of the movement had been co-opted into the mainstream, and many people involved declared this period to be over. However in Malasaña, vestiges of La Movida still remain. Its winding streets and alleys are filled with young people every day of the week, and on the weekends they often remain crowded until daybreak. 

 

 

 

 

Sources

“Malasaña: conoce la historia de este barrio de Madrid.” n.d. Globaliza. Accessed June 29, 2022. https://www.globaliza.com/noticias/malasana-madrid/.

“MALASANA, Madrid history.” 2019. ShMadrid. https://www.shmadrid.com/blog/en/malasana-madrids-most-modern-neighbourhood-and-its-bars/.

Phelan, Stephen, and Ouka Leele. 2020. “’Bless the chaos’: La Movida Madrileña, Spain’s seedy, wild post-Franco underground.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/11/la-movida-madrilena-spain-post-franco-anarchists-alaska-pedro-almodovar.

Sánchez, Mari C. 2021. “¿Cómo surgió el barrio de Malasaña?” Malasaña.com. https://xn--malasaa-9za.com/historia/como-surgio-barrio-malasana/.

Vendrell, Ramón. 2019. “Los ocho ojos de la movida madrileña.” El Periódico. https://www.elperiodico.com/es/ocio-y-cultura/20191017/exposicion-fotografias-movida-madrilena-alberto-garcia-alix-miguel-trillo-ouka-leele-pablo-perez-minguez-foto-colectania-7688282.

Vieira, Roberta. n.d. “Architecture of Cities: Madrid- Europe’s finest City – RTF.” Rethinking The Future. Accessed June 29, 2022. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/city-and-architecture/a5480-architecture-of-cities-madrid-europes-finest-city/.