Infinite canvas in Recoletos, next to Retiro.

It is just steps from El Retiro Park, in the quietest part of Recoletos. The Salamanca district is one of Madrid’s most prominent areas, both for its distinctive layout and for the residents who have traditionally inhabited its iconic streets. Its construction dates back to the second half of the 19th century and formed part of the urban expansion carried out during the reign of Isabella II. The district’s namesake and driving force was José de Salamanca y Mayol, a native of Málaga and Marquis of Salamanca, who envisioned a new development with carefully designed buildings to house Madrid’s aristocratic and bourgeois classes. In the 19th-century style, it is characterized by a highly regular grid layout with perpendicular streets. Its buildings are particularly noteworthy for their architectural quality and beautiful façades. Traditionally, Salamanca was a residential area, especially home to the country’s political and economic elites. Over the past fifty years, this residential character has coexisted with other activities, including business, diplomacy and, above all, commerce, as it is one of the capital’s most important luxury shopping districts. El Buen Retiro Park is the true centerpiece of this Madrid district, whose boundaries are Alcalá and O’Donnell Streets to the north, Doctor Esquerdo Street to the east, Avenida del Mediterráneo and Paseo de Reina Cristina to the south, and Alfonso XII Street to the west.