Gran Vía, Main avenue and entertainment district in central Madrid, Spain.
Gran Vía is a wide central avenue in Madrid, lined with large Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings that give the street a grand, uniform feel. It runs from the Calle de Alcalá in the east to the Plaza de España in the west, and along its length you find theaters, cinemas, hotels, restaurants, and shops.
Work on the Gran Vía began in 1910, requiring the demolition of a dense network of older streets to make way for a modern urban boulevard. The construction stretched over several decades and fundamentally changed the face of central Madrid.
The Gran Vía is a central part of Madrid's evening life, with theaters and cinemas drawing crowds after dark. Many of the theaters along the street host both Spanish productions and international musicals, making it a meeting point for a wide range of audiences.
Several metro stations sit along the avenue, making it easy to join or leave the street at different points. If you plan to walk the full length, wear comfortable shoes as the pavement can be uneven in places.
During the Spanish Civil War, the avenue was shelled so often that residents nicknamed it Howitzer Alley. Many of the buildings that line it today survived the war and still carry traces of that period in their facades.
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