This archive, originally published in 2021, brings together 15 facts about Madrid, covering its history, landmarks, parks, food and football. Later corrections and dated updates are identified below.
So, here are the 15 facts about Madrid that you didn’t know about!
1. The Bank of Spain has a floodable access shaft.
Banco de España explains in its 2019 institutional report that a sunken shaft at the entrance to its gold vault can be flooded to block access. The report says the feature had never been used; it does not describe the vault automatically filling with water when someone breaks in.
The vault was completed in 1936, 35 metres below the bank’s new banking hall. The bank’s account says the vault itself had remained free of water.
2. The world’s oldest operating restaurant is in Madrid.
According to Guinness World Records, Casa Botín in Madrid is the world’s oldest operating restaurant, having operated continuously since 1725.
The restaurant is on Calle de Cuchilleros, close to Plaza Mayor.
3. Parts of the Berlin Wall are still on display.
Three fragments of the Berlin Wall are displayed in Madrid’s Parque de Berlín.
Another original segment is displayed at Parque Europa in Torrejón de Ardoz, a separate municipality in the Madrid region.
4. Madrid has more than three million residents.
The city of Madrid is one of the European Union’s largest cities by municipal population.
Madrid City Council’s 2026 municipal-register advance recorded 3,497,277 residents on 1 January 2026, or about 3.5 million. This is the city figure, rather than the population of the wider Madrid region.
5. The city is part of the Community of Madrid.
Spain has 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities, as explained in the Spanish government’s guide to its territorial organisation.
The Community of Madrid is the autonomous region containing the capital city. Its Statute of Autonomy was approved in 1983. Autonomous communities should not be described as Spain’s federal states.
6. Madrid has hot, dry summers.
Madrid’s official tourism climate guide describes hot summers, cold winters and relatively low rainfall.
Summer temperatures can exceed 35°C. Winters are cold and can occasionally bring snow; rain and cloudy conditions are also possible.
7. Madrid lies on Spain’s central plateau.
Madrid stands on the central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET lists its Madrid reference location at 657 metres above sea level.
8. Madrid’s documented medieval history reaches back to the ninth century.
According to Madrid’s official history guide, the first historical record dates to 865, when Emir Muhammad I commissioned a fortress in Mayrit. This is the medieval origin described by the city’s tourism authority.
9. The name Madrid may have Arabic origins
The official city history connects the names Magerit and Mayrit with the area’s waterways and abundance of water.
10. Real Madrid received FIFA’s twentieth-century award.
On 11 December 2000, Real Madrid received FIFA’s Best Club of the 20th Century trophy. The club records the award in its official history.
11. The tallest building in Spain is in Madrid.
Madrid’s October 2025 tourism magazine identifies Torre de Cristal in the Cuatro Torres Business Area as Spain’s tallest skyscraper, at 249 metres.
The building’s operator dates construction to 2004–2008 and credits César Pelli, working with Ortiz León Arquitectos, for its design.
12. Puerta del Sol marks Kilometre Zero.
Madrid lies in central Spain. The Kilometre Zero plaque in Puerta del Sol marks the point from which distances on the national radial roads leaving Madrid are measured.
13. Madrid has extensive parks and gardens.
Madrid’s best-known green spaces include Casa de Campo, El Retiro and Madrid Río.
The city’s official parks and gardens guide also highlights neighbourhood parks, squares and community gardens for walks and exercise.
14. Parque Warner is in the Madrid region.
Parque Warner Madrid is a Warner Bros.-themed park in San Martín de la Vega, about 30 kilometres from Madrid. It opened on 6 April 2002.
Its five themed areas are Hollywood Boulevard, Movie World Studios, DC Super Heroes World, Old West Territory and Cartoon Village. Opening dates and hours vary; check the operator’s calendar before visiting.
15. It has a ‘Devil’ statue.
This is certainly an odd as well as a fun fact about Madrid. A place in Madrid has a statue that depicts the devil. Or, to put it more correctly, it depicts ‘Lucifer’ or the Fallen Angel.
The fountain itself is called the ‘Fountain of Fallen Angel’ and has gargoyles spewing water out of their mouth.
Correction, 28 October 2026: This article has been corrected to distinguish the Bank of Spain’s floodable entrance shaft from its vault, fix the population units and administrative terminology, and correct claims about climate, elevation, medieval history, football honours, landmarks and Parque Warner. Unsupported rankings and undated counts have been removed; the dated population figure is identified in the text. The original publication date is retained.
Source: https://buzzpedia.in/15-facts-you-did-not-know-about-madrid/
Also Read: Top 5 places to visit in Telangana:
