Conde Duque is an excellent example of the restoration of a building. Thanks to this, what used to be barracks, was turned into a building dedicated to art and culture.

This transformation started in the 80´s but it was not finished till much later. We have already written about La Casa Encendida. Today, we are going to talk about Centro Conde Duque which is a point of reference in Madrid, regarding art and culture.

DIFFERENT SPACES INSIDE A BUILDING

In 1717, the Conde Duque building was inaugurated and it became Real Cuartel de Guardias de Corps. In 1983, the decision was taken to turn it into an Arts Centre.

However, the transformation did not take place till 2005 and it ended in 2011. It has a built surface of more than 58.000 square metres, as well as two courtyards. In the northern part, there are six halls dedicated to culture such as an archive, a historical library, a public library, a musical library, a newspaper library and a contemporary art museum.

In the southern part, there are several exhibition halls, an assembly hall and even a theatre. All kinds of cultural events imaginable take place in Centro Conde Duque: there is music, art, a theatre and a lecture hall.

A HISTORIC BUILDING

It is located in the area called Universidad, although it is better known by its popular name Malasaña. King FelipeV started to build it to house his guards and their horses.

It is considered a great example of the architecture of Madrid of that time. From 2005 till 2011 it underwent a complete restoration: the façade of exposed brick was restored as well as the rest of the building. Even part of the foundations had to be restored too.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

Incredible but true, the beautiful Conde Duque building was nearly pulled down. In 1975, the issue of its demolition was brought up because the plan was to build an opera house there. Fortunately, this idea did not prosper.

Pictures 01, 02, 05, 06 y 07: Rubén Vique

Picture 03: R2hox

Picture 04: Charlotte Henard