First things first – Estació del Nord isn’t located in the north of the city. It’s actually just south of downtown! So why the name? Well it was built by the Northern Iron Roads Company, born in the 19th century to connect Madrid with the iron and steel centres of the Basque Country. The company commissioned the construction of this station to the young Valencian architect Demtrio Ribes, who between 1906 and1917, built a terminal building in an Art Nouveau style similar to Vienna’s Sezession exhibition hall. The use of iron, typical of the architecture of the industrial era and of railroad stations, was also a hallmark of the company promoting the station. Other elements alluding to the Northern Company are the iconic red five-pointed star - nothing to do with Socialism! - and the eagle, a symbol of speed, which tops the facade.