Paseo del Prado

The Paseo del Prado is one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Spain. It extends north to south from the Plaza de Cibeles to the Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V (also known as Glorieta de Atocha), with the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo (the location of the Fuente de Neptuno, and of the Ritz and Palace five-star hotels) lying approximately in the middle. The Paseo del Prado forms the southern end of the city's central axis (which continues to the north of Cibeles as the Paseo de Recoletos, and further north as the Paseo de la Castellana).

This densely tree-lined, wide and centric avenue is a cherished landmark for the city residents and the location of important cultural and tourist spots in the city, including the so-called "Golden Triangle of Art", which encompasses three world-class museums: the famous Prado Museum (with highlights such as Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas" and Francisco de Goya's "La maja vestida" and "La maja desnuda"), the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (housing a collection that spans eight centuries of European painting), and the Reina Sofia Museum (where Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" hangs, among a collection of 20^th century art). In the vicinity are located the Parque del Buen Retiro and the Casón del Buen Retiro (hosting the 19^th-century collection of the Prado Museum), as well as the headquarters of the Real Academia Española (the Spanish language academy), the Bolsa de Madrid (the city's stock exchange), and the Congreso de los Diputados (the national congress).

A controversial project of thorough reform and revitalization of the Paseo del Prado and the Paseo de Recoletos, known as "Plan Especial Recoletos-Prado" and authored by an international team of architects lead by Álvaro Siza, was approved by the city council on June 23, 2005, but as of early 2007 it is still to be realized.

There is also a street called "Paseo del Prado" in Havana, Cuba.

External links

* [http://www.ctspanish.com/maps/paseodeprado.htm The Paseo del Prado]