Edificio España

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Edificio España as seen from the Plaza de España

The Edificio España is a skyscraper in the Plaza de España in Madrid , which was built from 1948 to 1953. It was designed by the brothers Julián and Joaquín Otamendi (architect and engineer) in the neo- baroque style and is one of the architectural landmarks of the Spanish capital. With a height of 117 m, it was the tallest building in Spain when it was completed. The then ruling dictator Francisco Franco wanted to underline the country's economic performance.

Usage history

The first owner of the building was the real estate company Metrovacesa , which sold it to Gecina in 2005 . In the same year it was sold to the major Spanish bank Banco Santander , which had the building partially renovated from 2007. In 2014 Wang Jianlin bought it for € 265 million. It then belonged to the investment firm Renville , a subsidiary of the Chinese Wanda Group . For monument protection reasons, the government rejected their investor plan to equip the high-rise with a hotel, apartments and a shopping center. The Edificio España was in 2016 for 272 million euros to the Andalusian Grupo Baraka sold.

On June 1, 2017, the Edificio España changed ownership from Baraka to the Mallorcan hotel group Riu , which wanted to set up a four-star hotel with two swimming pools on 24 of the 27 floors. According to the RIU, the purchase and renovation costs were around 400 million euros. In mid-August 2019, the building was reopened as the 4-star Hotel Riu after more than twelve years. A sky bar on the top floor offers a spectacular view of Madrid; the elevator to get there costs a fee.

documentary

The documentary Edificio España by Victor Moreno reports on the interior renovation of the Edificio España between 2007 and 2010 based on the stories of two hundred workers from different countries of origin. The film was shown at international film festivals in 2012, including in San Sebastián . At the intervention of the building owner, it was not allowed to be shown for fifteen months.

Web links

Commons : Edificio España, Madrid  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 40 ° 25 '27 "  N , 3 ° 42' 43"  W.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b dpa: The richest man in China buys "Edificio España". Handelsblatt, June 5, 2014, accessed on October 22, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Un 'holding' murciano compra a Wanda el Edificio España por más de 265 million de euros. In: El Mundo of July 20, 2016; Wanda confirma que la venta del Edificio España a la murciana Baraka se materializará el 15 de octubre. In: El Mundo of July 22, 2016.
  3. ↑ Baraka compra a Wanda el Edificio España y lo vende al grupo Riu el mismo día. In: El País from June 1, 2017; Así será el hotel de lujo del Edificio España: la joya de Riu en Madrid. In: El País of June 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ El Edificio España recupera la esencia de los 50 en su reapertura como hotel. In: La Vanguardia of August 13, 2019.
  5. ↑ Natalia Chientaroli: 'Edificio España' gana la batalla al Santander: el documental ya puede verse. In: El Diario of February 7, 2014.