Elegant home in Recoletos, right by El 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 lived along its emblematic streets. Its construction dates from the second half of the 19th century and formed part of the urban expansion carried out during the reign of Isabella II. The visionary after whom it was named was José de Salamanca y Mayol, a native of Málaga and Marquis of Salamanca, who conceived a new development with carefully designed buildings to house Madrid’s aristocratic and bourgeois classes. Dating from the 19th century, the district is characterized by its remarkably regular checkerboard layout, with perpendicular streets. Its buildings are of particular interest thanks to their architectural quality and beautiful façades. Traditionally, Salamanca was a residential area, inhabited especially by the country’s political and economic elites. Over the past fifty years, this residential character has coexisted with other activities, including business, diplomacy and, especially, retail, as it is one of the capital’s most important luxury shopping areas. El 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.