IBERIAN DYNAMO

Europe's highest and sunniest capital first came into prominence when the monarch Philip II located his court at Madrid in 1561. It was then, during the Siglo de Oro, or Century of Gold, when treasures from the plunder of the New World came pouring into Spain. Situated at almost the center of Spain, Madrid was safely distanced from church power in Toledo and economic power in Valladolid and Burgos. New riches funded magnificent palaces, broad avenues, and handsome, spacious parks. Following World War II Madrid expanded greatly, and with the dictator Franco's death in 1975 plunged into a giddy time of new political and personal freedoms and wild nightlife.