LAVAPIÉS

Description

Essentials about Lavapiés in brief

If you like art, culture and good food, you should make your way to the Lavapiés neighborhood in the southeastern area of Madrid’s city center. The multiethnic immigrant neighborhood has always been a hotspot of Madrid’s cultural and gastronomic scene. In addition to museums, theaters, galleries, exhibition spaces, and cultural centers, Lavapiés has a seemingly endless selection of tapas bars and restaurants serving just about every cuisine in the world.

The history of Lavapiés

The architectural characteristic of Lavapiés are the narrow, steep and winding streets, which have preserved a medieval flair to the neighborhood as well as to its neighboring district La Latina. Lavapiés developed outside the city walls of Madrid starting in the 16th century. At that time, the rapidly growing capital of Spain needed masses of new workers, who often settled in Lavapiés. Even today, the typical construction of the so-called “corralas”, in which small apartments are grouped around an inner courtyard on multi-story galleries, reminds us of the living conditions of that time.

The multicultural flair of Lavapiés

Already in the Middle Ages, Lavapiés was home to a wide variety of cultures. This multicultural flair has been preserved in the neighborhood until today, which can be seen in the stores as well as in the gastronomic and cultural scene. It is not without reason that the zarzuela, a Spanish form of comic opera, developed in the 19th century in multi-cultural neighborhoods such as La Latina and Lavapiés.

Arts and culture in Lavapiés

Lavapiés is home to a number of interesting cultural institutions. The Valle-Inclán Theater is the second home of the Centro Dramático Nacional and also serves as a guest stage for foreign theater companies. The permanent circus arena of the Teatro Circo Price hosts not only circus events, but also concerts, shows and exhibitions. Those interested in Spanish film should stop by the Filmoteca Española, Spain’s historic film archive, which consists of a library, an exhibition room and, of course, a movie theater. The cultural center housed in La Casa Encendida and the exhibition rooms of La Tabacalera, a former tobacco factory, are also worth a visit for those interested in art and culture.

However, the absolute highlight of Lavapiés in terms of art and culture is the Reina Sofía Museum, located at the easternmost corner of the neighborhood. Those who are enthusiastic about contemporary Spanish art will be able to spend many hours in the Museo Reina Sofía with the works of Dalí, Míro, Picasso and numerous other masters.

Shopping in Lavapiés

However, Lavapiés is not only worth a visit for those interested in art and culture, but is also known for its diverse shopping opportunities. If you are looking for a work of art, you should take a look around the alleys surrounding the Museo Reina Sofía. There you will find numerous art galleries selling mainly modern and contemporary works. Due to its multi-ethnic history, the neighborhood also has a particularly large number of stores selling food and products from all corners of the world.

The reading cafés in Lavapiés

Another special feature of Lavapiés is the neighborhood’s reading cafés. Many of them specialize in a particular genre. There are special cafés where you can browse through comics, classic literature or philosophical works over breakfast or a snack. Bookworms should also visit the Mercado San Fernando. Here you can still buy books by weight. So you know at least immediately what you have to pay for your excess baggage.

Eating and drinking in Lavapiés

And if you get hungry after so much art, culture and shopping, you definitely won’t leave Lavapiés hungry. Just like the neighboring district of La Latina, Lavapiés is also known for its many excellent tapas bars. The alleys around Plaza de Lavapiés and Calle Argumosa have one of the highest tapas bar densities in all of Madrid.

Lavapiés’ gastronomic offerings also reflect the neighborhood’s ethnic diversity. Nowhere in Madrid are the cuisines more exotic: Lavapiés features African, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Korean, Latin American, Lebanese, Moroccan and Pakistani cooking (and that was just a sample). In addition, the beautiful cafes and the traditional taverns and bodegas of Lavapiés are also very popular among both Madrileneans themselves and tourists.