YOUR NEXT DESTINATION / December
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION / December
Graffiti in La Tabacalera, a social-cultural centre open to
the public for concerts, workshops, and other events.
The Christmas market on Plaza Mayor,
which was established in the 19 th century.
Reina Sofia Museum to create an outpost at La Taba-
calera, turning the cultural space into a big-name
cultural institution.
A new generation of architects joined
forces with this social movement to bring
life to the numerous vacant buildings
LOCATED IN AN OLD TOBACCO FACTORY,
LA TABACALERA IS A QUINTESSENTIAL
ELEMENT OF THE CURRENT ZEITGEIST OF
MADRID. To understand it, we need to look back
at Spain’s recent history. When the economic crisis
hit Europe in 2008, Spain’s housing bubble broke.
Along with it, inflation rose and the national bank
asked the European Union for a bailout. Spain’s level
of unemployment is still one of the highest in Europe.
The government was forced to impose austerity
measures, which ignited grassroots citizen activism.
In 2011, the Democracia Real YA organisation was
born and demanded that government listen to the
needs of citizens. The movement it sparked, known
as the 15-M Movement, harnessed the power of social
media to unite people all across Spain, who then hit
the streets on May 15, 2011, to protest against the pre-
vailing austerity. By 2015, the city had elected a more
attentive and open-minded government.
A new generation of architects also joined forces
with this social movement to bring life to the numer-
ous vacant buildings erected during the real estate
boom. La Tabacalera was one such building. ‘It was
absurd: this enormous building just sat in the middle
of the neighbourhood without any use,’ says Calde-
rón. In 2009, the Ministry of Culture finally took
action. First came a plan to renovate the building to
house the headquarters of the National Visual Arts
Centre, but due to a lack of funding, officials agreed
to open the space to local organisations. In 2010, it
signed a one-year contract with a self-managed proj-
ect called Centro Social Autogestionado La Tabacal-
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THE CHALLENGES CAUSED BY THE ECO-
NOMIC CRISIS ALSO PROMPTED NEW GEN-
ERATIONS TO TAKE OVER CENTURIES-OLD
era. Unlike other urban activists, this project did not
squat the building but moved into it officially. In fact,
Calderón tells me, the government is so satisfied with
the project’s good governance that it keeps extending
its contract. The present agreement ends in 2019,
but Calderón is confident about the future: ‘There’s
no doubt we will get a renewal; the relationship with
the officials is better than ever.’
Calderón gives me a tour through the labyrinths
of the former factory adorned in vibrant graffiti. One
of the murals features a cat in a t-shirt that says ‘Mi
casa es tu casa’ – and indeed, everyone is welcome
here. ‘This is a social-cultural centre open to anyone
who wants to create something, organise an event,
share their knowledge, or learn new crafts,’ Calderón
explains. ‘You may wonder how we get the fund-
ing to maintain this place. We don’t accept money
from anyone, be they politicians or private persons.
Instead, we organise a fundraiser – a concert with an
entrance fee – and that’s how we generate the funds
we need.’
We visit a workshop brimming with artists, and
then we head on to the garden, which is filled with
cactuses. Calderón tells me that during the sum-
mer this is where the best tomatoes in Madrid are
grown. Then we peek into a rehearsal room and see
three acrobats building a human pyramid. Next, an
industrial art workshop where the sound of a metal
cutting saw drowns out our intrusion. Our tour ends
in a serene, open space with arches and a stage in
the middle. Calderón reveals the project’s plan for
the future: there’s a negotiation going on with the
TAVERNS so that Starbucks and other global chains
don’t take their place. One such maverick is Carlos
Zamora, the CEO of Grupo Deluz, a sustainable
restaurant group that has given a second life to some
of the oldest bars in the city, such as La Carmen-
cita, Café Angélica, and Celso y Manolo, where
we meet. Sitting by the marble bar counter, he tells