El Patio de Maravillas

El Patio de Maravillas is a squad house in the center of Madrid. Its name literary means “The Marvel Yard”. For those of you who do not know what a squad is, there is my explanation: a squad is a place occupied by people who take care of it, develop it, and contribute to it.

Source

Very often those would be hippies who would also live there. Similar to La Tabacalera, El Patio de Maravillas is a squad with lots of activities. It is smaller, but very nice. It has a bar, which is usually filled with people. Sometimes you could see a projection held in the bar. I once witnessed a projection about animal rights.

Source

Then there are rooms for dancing, yoga, and discussions. The people related to places like this are socially active and concerned. These are people who contribute to causes such as local production, animal rights, ecology, political and social equality, etc.

Source

Even if you are not so active and concerned with these topics, you should visit El Patio de Maravillas. The music is good, the wine is cheap, and there is a free phone that you could use to call home.