Planning a trip to Europe is an interesting and tough activity. We get confused of where to go and where to not. The selection of the right tourist point in this big land is truly very difficult, but after checking this article, your worries will be gone. Here we have the top 10 most fascinating tourist attractions of Europe.
10. Congreso de los Diputados
The Congress of Deputies is also known as the Congress of Deputies. It is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, one of the legislative branches of Spain. There are 350 members here who have been elected by vote on block lists of constituencies that match the provinces of Spain with the help of the D'Hondt method. In the Congress, there are several groups consisting of members of the Parliament of different political parties. It is mandatory to form the parliamentary groups of 15 MPs, but a group may also form with a minimum of five MPs. On the other hand, the MPs belonging to parties who are unable to create their parliamentary group, can form the Mixed Group.
9. Convent of the Incarnation - Real Monasterio de la Encarnación
The Royal Monastery of the Incarnation or Real Monasterio de la Encarnación is a famous convent of Madrid. It is situated in the order of Recolet Augustines, Spain. This institution used to intern the ladies from noble families. Its foundation was laid by the Queen Margaret of Austria, wife of Philip III. This building is kept open for common people as was in the ancient times. In those days, it was administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is said that the queen founded this building for celebrating her husband's expulsion of the Moriscos, resident Moors. The design of this building was presented by the architect, Alberto de la Madre de Dios in 1611-1616. The facade has a sobriety which reminds the beautiful and unique style of Juan de Herrera. The monastery has now partially become a museum. It has various art works of the times of St. Januarius and of St. Pantaleon. The interiors of this building were renovated during 18th century, and some changes were made including frescoes in the ceilings of the main chapel. These changes were made by Francisco Bayeu. Not only this but also the center of the retablor had been redecorated by Vincenzo Carducci. The sides of the altar have sculptures of Augustine of Hippo and his mother Saint Monica, which were presented by Gregorio Fernández.
8. Convent of the Salesas Reales
The Convent of the Salesas Reales was formed in 18th century. It can specifically be regarded as the convent of the Visitación de Nuestra Señora (Visitation of Our Lady). This complex was built by the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, which was founded by St. Francis de Sales and St Jeanne de Chantal. The church of the convent has been dedicated to St Barbara, but now has taken the form of a parish church. The other parts of the complex are the house to the Supreme Court of Spain. The foundation of the convent was laid in 1748 by Queen Barbara of Portugal, the wife of King Ferdinand VI. In those days, it was a school and home of young women. The design of the convent was presented by François Carlier, and its construction was initiated in 1743. Not only this but also the plans and modifications of this building were finished in 1750 by Francisco Moradillo. In 1870, the nuns were evicted, and the building took the form of the Palace of Justice. During 20th century, this place saw two fires, and was restored by Joaquín Roji.
7. Convento de las Carmelitas Descalzas
The Convent of San Hermenegildo is one of the best religious buildings of Madrid. Its history belongs to the congregation of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. The duty of its construction was assigned to Pedro Ribera. This convent was constructed in 1586 by intervention of St. Teresa of Jesus. It was, later on, demolished in 1870, and the reforms of Church in San Jose were to survive from destruction. Years after, a theater was built close to this convent, named as the Apollo Theate. The foundation of this convent was originally laid by Philip II. Previously, it was found in the street Ortiz Ximénez de Cataño, behind the main street of Alcalá. But finally, it was moved to a new convent in December 1605. The finance for its construction was given by worldwide donors. In 1870 the convent was survived from destruction, and converted in the form of a church. Both the convent and orchard are part of the Plaza del Rey.
6. Cuatro Torres Business Area
Cuatro Torres Business Area (CTBA) is also known with the name of "Four Towers Business Area". It is a well known business district, situated in the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid. The area has some of the tallest and most attractive skyscrapers of Spain, such as Torre Espacio, Torre de Cristal, Torre PwC, and Torre Caja Madrid. This business center’s construction was completed in 2008, and is also known as Madrid Arena. Its design was presented by Henry N. Cobb and it was constructed by Obrascón Huarte Lain. It has a 57-storey Torre Espacio (Spanish for Space Tower) which is about 224 m tall. During November 2006, its height surpassed that of the Gran Hotel Bali, and it was regarded as the tallest building of Spain. The structure had been topped out during March, 2007. This was the day when Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, mayor of Madrid, had to attend the firework display at an event. This business area was first named as Torre Repsol and used to be the headquarter of oil and gas company named Repsol YPF. When its tower was constructed, Repsol took the decision of changing the location of the company’s future headquarter, and then the financial institution Caja Madrid bought this building for about €820 million.
5. Decorative Arts Museum
The Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (also known as National Museum of Decorative Arts, or National Museum of Industrial Arts) is located at 12 Montalbán Street, in Madrid, Spain. It is found to the southern side of the Puerta de Alcalá and the west of the Buen Retiro Park. It is one of the most famous and ancient museums of the city, found within the Golden Triangle of Art. Just like the marvelous Victoria and Albert Museum of London, it illustrates the history of minor arts such as furniture, ceramics, glasses, and textile. The collections kept here belong to 16th and 17th centuries. It has around 35,000 pieces, with so many Arabic world items collected from Morocco and Turkey. Its 62 exhibition rooms are present in the premises of a palace close to the Jardines del Retiro de Madrid. This museum receives around 21,000 visitors every year. The museum was established by Royal Decree in 1912. In those days, it was named as the National Museum of Industrial Arts. It was founded during the reign of Amadeo I of Spain.
4. El Capricho Park of Alameda de Osuna
El Capricho Park of Alameda de Osuna was founded in late 18th century by the Countess-Duchess of Benavente. This park is one of the best examples of the gorgeous landscape of Spain. It has combined the beauty of Italian and French architectures. The visitors and delight themselves with an artificial river, a gorgeous lake, flowers and trees all around, and an island. The reed-covered boathouse is called the Casa de Cañas. Here there is also a temple to Bacchus, the Casa de la Vieja house, a tiny fort, the shrine, and El Abejero. Spring is the best time to explore the beauty and charm of this garden. During the spring season, it remains filled with the perfumes of the groves of lilacs and the cascading roses. This garden is not less beautiful than the jewel of Romanticism. It is spread in an approximate area of 14 hectares, and has various stimulating things to view and get amazed with. Its construction was started 1780 when the Duke and Duchess of Osuna ordered to build such a marvelous garden.
3. El Oso y el Madroño
The statue of the bear and arbutus, also called El Oso y el Madrono, is a nice sculpture, formed in 20th century. It is situated in Madrid, Spain, and represents the beauty of the city. This statue has been presented in the eastern side of the Puerta del Sol, between Calle Alcalá and Carrera de San Jerónimo, and is of great historical value. The statue was created by sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafe (1906-1983) and was made available for common public to visit during 1967. The promotion of this sculpture was done by the cultural section of the city of Madrid. The purpose of its promotion was to introduce the historical values of Spain to the worldwide visitors. Firstly, the statue appeared like a rampant bear, standing close to a fruity tree. But later on, its appearance was changed, and the previous sculptures were replaced by two current figures. Under the agreement of the Council of Priests and Beneficiaries, this place became the property of Cabildo. The weapons kept here underwent several modifications with the inclusion of a new tree and a changed position of the bear, standing on the tree.
2. El Pardo Royal Palace
The Royal Palace of El Pardo (in Spanish it is called Palacio Real de El Pardo) is one of the famous historical buildings of Madrid, Spain. It has now become the district of Fuencarral-El Pardo, and its owner is Spanish state. This building is being administered by the Patrimonio Nacional agency, but initially it was a hunting lodge. This building was founded as an alternative residence of the Spain’s kings until the reign of Alfonso XII, who died here in 1885. In the times of King Enrique III of Castile, he gave order to construct the pavilion in 1406 on Mount El Pardo. But later on, in the times of Emperor Carlos V (1547), it took the form of a palace. The design was presented by the architect Luis de Vega. On 13 March 1604, a massive fire destructed many paintings of this palace including masterpieces by Titian. So, King Carlos III decided to renovate it during 18th century. For this purpose, he hired the architect Francesco Sabatini for this job. The building was completed with new renovation in 20th century with double the size of the original structure.
1. El Rastro Flea Market
El Rastro de Madrid or simply el Rastro is one of the famous open air flea markets of Madrid. It is held on Sundays, when there is a public holiday. The market is situated along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo, in the southern La Latina metro station. What amazes the visitors about this market is the variety of products. If you get a chance to come here, then you can find both new and used products at el Rastro. Several local antique shops are also present here. El Rastro means "the trail". The market has its distinctive name because of the tanneries that were once located in Ribera de Curtidores. This market has gained worldwide fame that even the famous writers and authors have written much about it. For example, the German writer Hans Magnus Enzensberger has said that el Rastro is the final border between Europe and Africa, and comprises of diverse individuals of different countries.
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