• Restaurants & Tapas
• Bars & Clubs
• Schools
• Shopping
• Tourism
• Accommodation
• Sports
• Health & Beauty

All Neighborhoods/Metros M - Alonso Martínez M - Anton Martín M - Argüelles M - Atocha M - Banco de España M - Bilbao M - Callao M - Chueca M - Colón M - Concha Espina M - Cuatro Caminos M - Cuzco M - Estrecho M - Goya M - Gran Vía M - Iglesia M - La Latina M - Lavapiés M - Lista M - Manuel Becerra M - Moncloa M - Noviciado M - Nuevos Ministerios M - Nuñez de Balboa M - O'Donnell M - Opera M - Plaza España M - Príncipe de Vergara M - Retiro M - Rubén Darío M - San Bernardo M - Santiago Bernabeu M - Santo Domingo M - Serrano M - Sevilla M - Sol M - Tetuán M - Tirso de Molina M - Tribunal M - Velázquez M - Ventura Rodríguez N - Austrias N - Chueca N - Huertas/Lavapies N - Malasaña/Conde Duque N - Rastro/Puerta de Toledo N - Salamanca O'Donnell ODonnell All Types American Argentine Auteur Chef Brazilian Cajun Chinese Cuban French Fusion Gourmet Delicatessen Hamburger Joints Indian International Italian Japanese Kosher Lebanese Mediterranean Mexican Moroccan Pastries Peruvian Russian Seasonal Market Senegalese Spanish Specialty Thai Vegetarian

search

Madrid History

The Three-Second Museum - Don't Blink!

If you are still looking for an answer as to why the windows of metro line 1 have so many grease stains on them, just keep reading. Those spots are simply the nose marks of curious people pushing their faces against the glass hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystery metro station where the train will never stop.

Metro Chamberí (non-existent)
Between Metro Bilbao and Iglesia, line 1.
Not opened yet to the public - now only to be seen from metro
The Three-Second Museum – Don’t Blink!

If you are still looking for an answer as to why the windows of metro line 1 have so many grease stains on them, just keep reading. Those spots are simply the nose marks of curious people pushing their faces against the glass hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystery metro station where the train will never stop.

Chamberí was a stop on the first metro line ever built in Madrid and was opened in 1918. The line traveled the stretch between Cuatro Caminos and Sol in just 8 minutes - nothing short of a miracle in a city that was already starting to experience traffic jams.

The developers, Carlos Mendoza, Miguel Otamendi, Antonio González Echarte and the famous architect Antonio Palacios, had lobbied hard for this first line: at the time very few were convinced of its necessity and most politicians considered the tram to be the public transport of choice. It was only with the help of considerable investments by King Alfonso XIII that construction was possible.

However, the stations were relatively small and short and when, in the sixties, the decision was taken to amplify them to accommodate longer trains and more people, it turned out that Chamberi would be too closely situated to its neighbouring stations and this would slow the route down considerably. In 1966, the station was shut. And that is how it went: it was just shut - not taken down. The entrance disappeared but everything inside stayed just the way it was. Those who had the privilege of visiting it later reported tickets still lying on the ground, newspapers left in the bins and the1966 ads still posted on the walls.

For all those years the station was simply left to gather dust, rust and mildew. Since there was no light, passers-by had to try hard to make out the old-fashioned tiles and ads showing beaming, smiling women recommending their wares – hence the grease stains.

A visit to this real-life museum only lasts three seconds and it’s the only time when you actually hope for a power surge that will make your train stop. Generations of Madrileños have grown up every day marveling at this ghostly world flashing past.

Even though Chamberí was closed, it was never totally without visitors. Every so often a homeless person would spend the night there, or somebody brave enough to conquer the distance on the rails from the nearby stations - outrunning the approaching trains - would get the rare chance to see the abandoned station from the inside. Unfortunately, a few years ago vandals also rediscovered the site and covered the old ads with a fresh layer of modern graffiti.

Lately, it has been easier to spot the remains of Chamberi: currently it is being restored to protect it from further vandalism and lights have been installed for the builders. The entrance above the ground on Plaza Chamberí is open again – now for the workers and later for the public.

The station is too small to be turned into a proper museum - no room for any artifacts - and so it will be turned into an ‘experience’ of the metropolitana, or in good Spanish ‘un centro de interpretación’.

Officially, activities should have been finished by now, but, of course, they aren’t and looking at the amount of work that still needs to be done, the opening date is an open question. For now, the only way to visit Chamberí station is by smooshing your nose up against the glass – if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.