To restore or renovate in a deteriorated and unprofitable neighbourhood, means increasing the quality of life of the citizens. Thus, offering them an area fit to be lived in.
Madrid has enhanced the value of what used to be a worthless part of the city. We have dedicated a part of our blog to this: Restoring this area has made it a pleasant place to live in.

To open this section, we have chosen Matadero de Madrid, in Legazpi (Madrid Slaughterhouse, in Legazpi). Nowadays, it is a point of reference of the cultural and artistic activity of the city.
It is a fascinating environment with plenty of possibilities to enjoy yourself.

A BIT OF HISTORY

The Matadero and Mercado Municipal de Ganados (Municipal Market of Livestock), are located in the district of Arganzuela. They operated as a slaughterhouse and livestock market from 1925 till 1980. They consisted of 48 buildings and various industrial units. The architecture is of a neomudejar style. This style is very characteristic in many buildings in Madrid. At the beginning of the 80´s, this complex stopped being used as a slaughterhouse. Nowadays, several cultural offices of the Town Hall are located there. In 2005, the southern part of Matadero began to change into an area where different cultural and artistic activities were developed.

CENTRE OF CONTEMPORARY CREATIONS

Painting exhibitions, as well as design, videoart, theatre, documentary programming, independent films which do not pursue fame, literary work, live music and so on and so forth. You can find all of this here!!!!

Not only does Matadero offer this wide range of entertainment, but in addition, we may also enjoy a unique architectural place of great historic importance. The Matadero of Legazpi is a perfect example of how to restore and renovate and thus, improve a whole neighbourhood and boost the standard of living of its people. Moreover, it preserves and increases the value of the heritage of the city.

Matadero, is worth a visit. You won´t regret it !!! We can highlight Casa del Lector, which is located where in the old days the cows had their throats slit. Currently, it is an area dedicated to encourage reading. Furthermore, we can go to the Cineteca, which is a beautiful cinema that has a capacity for 200 people. Here, we can see documentaries and non-fiction films.

We must also point out the Nave de la Música, which used to be the stables for the livestock. At present, all the music of the Matadero, is programmed here. In order to find out more about the programme of Matadero, you may visit its web page.

Photographs: Matadero of Madrid