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Palacio de Congresos de Madrid was officially opened the 1st of June of 1970 by the then Prince of Asturias Mr. Juan Carlos de Borbón, on the occasion of the VI World Mining Congress. Two years before the east part of the building had come into operation with the exhibition “This is how electricity works”, organised by the Spanish Association of Electric Industry.
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The building is the work of the architect Pablo Pintado y Riba (1924-2007), who won the public competition to which 16 projects were presented. The success of his project lied in the novelty of having two adjacent stages which could be used together or separately.
In 1980 the Mural of Joan Miró was installed on its main front. With 7.056 ceramic pieces of 20x30 cm done by Joan Gardy Artigas, and a total surface of 550 sqm became the second biggest mural of the World, after the one located in the German city of Wiesbaden, also projected by Miró. The unveiling of the commemorative plaque had place the 5th of August of 1980, and the 87 years old artist travelled to Madrid to receive a triple tribute: seeing his work finally placed, giving his name to the adjacent square to the main façade of the venue, and receiving from the King Juan Carlos the “Medalla de Oro de las Bellas Artes”.
The celebration of the European Conference on Security and Co-operation between 1980 and 1983 was a critical point in the history of Palacio de Congresos de Madrid, due to its length and historical relevancy and to the effort of refurbishment the building to meet the requirements of the Conference.
In 1989 the Palacio de Congresos de Madrid was again the international focus of attention with the celebration of the closing of the Spanish Presidency of the European Economic Community which took place in the first Semester of that year. Its facilities were renovated during 8 months to be adequate for the events related to the closing, but also the congresses and exhibitions that were held in the venue. The 15th of March 1998 took place a fire that destroyed part of the building; however, the activity of the Palacio went on very soon after that.
Nowadays, Palacio de Congresos de Madrid is among the elite of the convention centres of the World, committing to its three competitive values: location in the heart of the business district of the city; multi-purpose facilities, with an auditorium, meeting rooms and several exhibition and ancillary spaces, and background, hosting around 180 events every year for the last 40 years.
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