New darling on the block

A refurbished palace and two new hotels are helping Madrid to break free from Barcelona's shadow, says Steven King

- Steven King

STRAPPED for cash like the rest of us, the Duke of Alba recently agreed to turn his Madrid residence, the Liria Palace, into a temporary exhibition space for a show by Joana Vasconcelos ('Absurdly wonderful', March 26). Making my way among his Old Masters and her whimsical installations, I happened to overhear a snippet of conversation, a single sentence that rose above the general hubbub, in which one young American woman said to another: 'Madrid is totally Europe's darling.'

She's right, of course, although for a long time Barcelona was the darling, having pole-vaulted into the collective consciousness when it hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics. Preparation for the Games involved all manner of grand-scale public works—not only the construction of sporting facilities, but also comprehensive infrastructure improvements and the regeneration of the port, waterfront and beaches. The effect was transformative and the whole world was watching. Barcelona was well and truly back on the map. (Spain also won 22 medals that year, including 13 gold—by far the most in the nation's history. Everyone loves a winner.)