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Contact was last modified: April 3rd, 2021 by Madrid No Frills

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𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗱'𝘀 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴

𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗱'𝘀 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮 𝗹𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ⏳

As with traditional bars , everything that was built in Spain in the mid- to late-20th century was built to last. It was a time when the economy was booming and small business owners invested in their future. They believed that their businesses would pass from generation to generation and that, therefore, it would be worth spending the savings on facades, floors, furniture and signage.

The design of the typography was also designed to last, as accidental and timeless works of art that we can see without buying a ticket.

But, for many people, these retro typefaces seem outdated and have also become victims of a capitalist and utilitarian world. So when a business closes, its sign disappears.

However, many of these signs survive thanks to groups formed by collectors such as @albertograco. In the same way as a museum (and even a cemetery), Paco Graco's work allows us to connect with what has disappeared from Madrid. But all is not lost!

Although the use of many stores has changed since they opened, many original 19th century commercial signs can still be found on our streets. In fact, there is a street in Madrid that pays homage like no other to the typography of Madrid's past: Calle Calatrava in La Latina 💕

Old greengrocers, wineries, charcoal makers, pharmacies or dairies are some of the living museums that you can find in the short stretch of Calle Calatrava and its surrounding streets. There are as many as seventeen old facades that have survived!

What I like about Madrid is the way in which the old and the new live in parallel and in symbiosis. This is the Madrid that I fell in love with when I moved here eight years ago, and the Madrid that I would like to see in the future, and you?

Head to my second most recent post to watch a video all about Madrid's remaining retro street signs created in collaboration with my incredibly talented 'Madrid Tal Cual' team at @madrid_secreto 🎬❤️✨

Beautiful sunburst sunset last night over Castilla

Beautiful sunburst sunset last night over Castilla-La Mancha 😍

Aspe No Frills and the most beautiful little munic

Aspe No Frills and the most beautiful little municipal market 💕

San Juan No Frills ✨

San Juan No Frills ✨

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲-𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆.

In February 1937, Franco’s Nationalist army launched a massive attack on Republican lines in the Jarama valley to the southeast of Madrid. Their objective was to cut off the road between Madrid and the Mediterranean port of Valencia, restricting vital supplies of food, fuel and munitions to the besieged capital.

Their attack centred on the valley of Jarama, and in the early morning of 12 February, Moroccan soldiers moved silently across the Jarama river at the Pindoque Bridge, where they stabbed the unsuspecting Republican lookouts. Over the next three days, fierce fighting ensued.

Walking through the trenches today, which vary in depth between being able to pop my head above ground level and being completely hidden while stood tall, it feels as though they are still in action.

There are seating areas at crossroads and perfectly geometric tunnels that haven’t smoothened after all these years. Not even shrubs have attempted to inhabit the hillside carvings and, inside the tunnels where few dare to tread for fear of collapse, soldiers’ footprints may still visible.

The fact that these fortifications are so perfectly preserved says a lot about the awareness of their existence. If these battlefields were visited by the hoards, as is the case for the Somme and Normandy, there’d be signs, paths and even a visitor’s centre. But here, the land is wild and unspoilt.

Read the full article linked in bio @madridnofrills and discover one man's life-long collection of wartime objects from the Jarama Valley.

#spanishcivilwar #spanishcivilwartours #internationalbrigades #brigadesinternacionals

The people's no-frills bus stop ❤️

The people's no-frills bus stop ❤️

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