Friday, 2 October 2026 · Almaty
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Madrid

Did you know that the Gran Vía, Madrid's main street, was renamed in 1937 Gran Vía Avenida de Rusia, Russia Avenue, and soon afterwards Avenida de la Unión Soviética, Soviet Union Avenue?

Architecture · Madrid · Society

Did you know that the Gran Vía, Madrid's main street, was renamed in 1937 Gran Vía Avenida de Rusia, Russia Avenue, and soon afterwards Avenida de la Unión Soviética, Soviet Union Avenue?

Shortly before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, sympathy with and interest in the workers' and revolutionary movement in Eastern Europe led to the founding in Spain of the Association of Friends of the Soviet Union, which soon became a counterweight to Francoist propaganda. In 1937, at the

By Alexandr Radayev
Queen María Luisa of Parma of Spain, portrayed in this picture in court dress and an oriental headdress, was extremely pleased with Goya's work

Art · Madrid · Monarchies · Observations

Queen María Luisa of Parma of Spain, portrayed in this picture in court dress and an oriental headdress, was extremely pleased with Goya's work

Queen María Luisa of Parma of Spain, portrayed in this picture in court dress and an oriental headdress, was extremely pleased with Goya's work. She even praised him in her letters. She came to the studio tirelessly to admire how the portrait was progressing. When he finished, the

By Alexandr Radayev
Trying ajoblanco, the Spanish cold soup of raw almonds, in the Madrid restaurant of Agustín Lardy, named after a Spanish painter of the nineteenth century

Madrid · Observations · Mores · Reportage

Trying ajoblanco, the Spanish cold soup of raw almonds, in the Madrid restaurant of Agustín Lardy, named after a Spanish painter of the nineteenth century

Almond soup is, in essence, the same thing as satsivi. At the bottom of the plate sit a little fish and a little salad, and on top goes the almond purée with a faint floral aftertaste. Traditionally, though, this soup is made from almonds, stale bread, garlic, oil, vinegar and

By Alexandr Radayev
Orestes and Pylades, Castor and Pollux, Antinous and Hadrian: it is not known for certain whom the San Ildefonso Group in the Prado Museum collection actually depicts

Archaeology · Art · Madrid · Museums

Orestes and Pylades, Castor and Pollux, Antinous and Hadrian: it is not known for certain whom the San Ildefonso Group in the Prado Museum collection actually depicts

Most often the youths are identified as Orestes and Pylades at the moment of a sacrifice in gratitude for their successful return from Tauris. The statuette of the woman on the left is Artemis or Persephone, to whom the sacrifice is made. The sacrificial character of the scene is indicated

By Alexandr Radayev
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