Madrid is such an exciting place to visit. It has some amazing architecture. There is more to Madrid than just buildings though. For the families you can go boating in Retiro Park. Madrid has a great Zoo and amusement park. There is heaps to do in Madrid and something to please everyone. This hub has more about Madrid.

During the late 1800s, Isabel II could not suppress the political tension that would lead to another revolt. This revolt was the First Spanish Republic. Later it was followed by the return of the monarchy to Madrid, then the creation of the Second Spanish Republic which preceded the Spanish Civil War.

Madrid was one of the most heavily impacted cities of Spain by the Civil War (1936-1939). The streets of Madrid became battlegrounds. Madrid was a stronghold of the Republicans from July 1939. Its western suburbs were the scene of an all-out battle in November 1936. It was during the Civil War that Madrid became the first city to be bombed by airplanes, specifically targeting civilians in the history of warfare.

During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, especially during the 1960s, the south of Madrid became very industrialized and there were massive migrations from rural environments into the city. Madrid's south-eastern periphery became an extensive working class settlement, which was the base for an active cultural and political reform.

After the death of Franco, emerging democratic parties (including those of left-wing and republican ideology) accepted Franco's wishes of being succeeded by Juan Carlos I - in order to secure stability and democracy. This led Spain to its current position as a constitutional monarchy, with Madrid as capital.

Befitting from the prosperity it gained in the 1980s, the capital city of Spain has consolidated its position as the first economic, cultural, industrial, educational, and technological center on the Iberian peninsula.

On 11 March 2004, Madrid was hit by a terrorist attack when terrorists placed a series of bombs on multiple trains during the rush hour, three days before the 14 March 2004 elections. This was the worst massacre in Spain since the end of the civil war in 1939. Madrid suffered another terrorist attack, on the part of ETA, 30 December 2006. An explosion took place in the building attached to Terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas International Airport.