Madrid History Museum

The Museo de Historia de Madrid on Calle de Fuencarral in the Malasana district is the municipal museum of the Spanish capital, occupying the former Hospicio de San Fernando, an early-baroque hospital building by Pedro de Ribera from the 1720s. Its main portal is regarded as one of the richest examples of the Churrigueresque style in Madrid and is protected as a monument. The museum opened in 1929 and walks through the city's story from Philip II's move of the court here in 1561 through the Bourbon reforms to the Republic, using paintings, urban models, maps and a large 1830 wooden model of the city. Entry is free, and a visit takes around two hours, easily combined with a wander through Malasana and Chueca.