Madrid offers a wide variety of its own centres and exhibition halls, as well as spaces managed by cultural foundations and other public and private entities. Here are some of the many options you can enjoy in our region.

CaixaForum
CaixaForum, which opened in 2008 and has become a point of reference in the city of Madrid, offers a wide range of temporary exhibitions, workshops, conferences, cinema, debates and family activities. It is located in the Paisaje de la Luz, the green heart of Madrid, and the building that houses this social, cultural and artistic centre is the former Mediodía Power Station, considered an industrial jewel of the 20th century.

Its vertical garden, the first to be installed in Spain and the one with the largest continuous surface area in the world, was designed as a connection between the building and the Paseo del Prado and is made up of more than 15,000 plants covering the 460 m2 wall. This grandiose wall of vegetation survives without soil, only with water and nutrients.

More information at CaixaForum.

Círculo de Bellas Artes The Círculo de Bellas Artes is one of the most important private cultural centres in Europe. It was founded in 1880 by a small group of artists and had directors of the stature of Jacinto Benavente. This cultural centre is characterised by the dissemination of the most innovative artistic currents, both in the plastic arts and in literature, science, philosophy and the performing arts.

It is located in a historic building in the centrally located Calle de Alcalá in Madrid. This centre has different spaces for the celebration of cultural events as well as restaurant areas such as the roof terrace, which has one of the best and most spectacular views of the city of Madrid.

More information at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

La Casa Encendida
La Casa Encendida is a social and cultural centre located in the Lavapiés neighbourhood. It is a neo-Mudejar style building from the early 1930s. It is considered an open and dynamic cultural space with a programme for both children and adults.

At La Casa Encendida some of the most avant-garde artistic expressions of the city of Madrid coexist with educational activities, reflection and debate, which revolve around its four areas of action: Culture, Solidarity, Environment and Education. It also has a marvellous terrace with a wide variety of plant species that allows you to enjoy the best sunsets in the city.

More information at La Casa Encendida.

Interpretation Centre of Nuevo Baztán
The Nuevo Baztán Interpretation Centre aims to raise awareness of the importance of Juan de Goyeneche's industrial project that led to the birth of the municipality of Nuevo Baztán. It is housed in a building that was a former warehouse of the industrial complex linked to the Goyeneche Palace.

The elements currently available in this Interpretation Centre are made up of scale models that reproduce different aspects of what this great industrial complex and the buildings that made it up, tools and implements typical of the different trades that were carried out, and clothing typical of the period. The Nuevo Baztán complex was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1941, in 1980 it was declared a Historic-Artistic Site and, in 2000, an Asset of Cultural Interest.

More information at the Nuevo Baztan Interpretation Centre. Madrid Planetarium
The Madrid Planetarium is one of the most visited centres in Madrid. This cultural centre opened its doors in 1986 to contribute to the dissemination of astronomy and science in general. This centre is open to all kinds of audiences, from schoolchildren to adults. It offers a wide range of projections, audiovisuals, exhibitions and activities.

After the 2017 refurbishment of the planetarium you can observe the sky from anywhere on Earth or from any point in space, travel through corners of the solar system, or appreciate the movements of the stars over the centuries and see where the thousands of extrasolar planets that are currently being discovered are located.

More information at the Madrid Planetarium. La Arquería de Nuevos Ministerios Exhibition Hall
This cultural space of 2,400 square metres located in Nuevos Ministerios, next to the Paseo de la Castellana, was inaugurated in October 1983. It displays the most relevant examples of 20th and 21st century architecture, with the aim of disseminating architectural culture in Spain. In 2020, renovation work has been carried out so that from the end of 2022 it will be the headquarters of the ENAIRE Collection of contemporary art.

La Arquería Exhibition Hall has achieved an extraordinary appreciation in the field of international architectural culture, and specifically in the speciality of exhibition design and assembly, the so-called ephemeral architecture, which has been recognised with numerous awards.

More information at La Arquería de Nuevos Ministerios Exhibition Hall.

Telefónica Foundation Space
The Space, inaugurated in May 2012, is located in the emblematic Telefónica building on Madrid's Gran Vía. This building was inaugurated in 1930 as the company's new headquarters, becoming the first skyscraper in Europe and for almost a year also the tallest.

The space aims to be a point of reference for 21st century culture, where one can reflect and debate on the adventure of telecommunications and art in the past, present and future, serving as a meeting point between the historical avant-garde and the revolution of knowledge that we are experiencing today. In its 6000 m2, divided into four floors, the dialogue between art, technology and new forms of communication is developed through different workshops, guided tours, an auditorium and several exhibition spaces, making it an ideal place to visit with children and teenagers.

More information at Espacio Fundación Telefónica.

Casa de México Foundation in Spain
The Fundación Casa de México in Spain is an early 20th century mansion in the Chamberí neighbourhood, a municipal space ceded by the Madrid City Council, which houses this centre, inaugurated in 2018, which serves as a bridge for cultural exchange and knowledge between Mexico and Spain.

The 2700 square metre building has four floors housing the Fondo de Cultura Económica "Martín Luis Guzmán" bookshop, an auditorium, a shop specialising in popular art, exhibition rooms, a permanent collection of Mexican art, a space for community workshops, a gastronomic classroom and the Punta Arena Mexican restaurant.

More information at Casa de México in Spain. Alcalá 31 Exhibition Hall
The Alcalá 31 exhibition hall is located in an emblematic building by Antonio Palacios, built between 1935 and 1943, which was originally the headquarters of the Banco Mercantil e Industrial and is now part of the Madrid Regional Government.

The exhibition hall occupies the large central nave, which was once the bank's operating courtyard. This exhibition hall maintains a programme that emphasises current creation within the plastic and visual arts of international scope. Throughout the year, solo and group exhibitions are programmed, focusing on mid-career artists, reviews of the careers of established artists who have suffered varying critical fortune and the presentation of important art collections from Latin America.

More information at Sala Alcalá 31.

Canal Isabel II Foundation
The Canal de Isabel II Foundation, located in a former Canal water tank, has become a national and international reference point in the world of photography and image. The building was constructed between 1907 and 1911 as Madrid's first elevated water reservoir.

The temporary exhibitions focus on contemporary photographic and audiovisual creation and, every year, coinciding with Madrid Fashion Week, an exhibition of a great master of fashion design is held. It hosts exhibitions of both great masters of photography, national and international, as well as representatives of young Spanish and international photography, consolidating itself as an emblematic space for the dissemination of the latest trends in the medium.

More information at Fundación Canal de Isabel II.

If you are a lover of culture and want to find different proposals, enter our website and discover all the cultural offer. Madrid offers a wide range of cultural activities to all those who wish to delve into this field.