Teatro Real, Madrid's Royal Theatre, looks unremarkable from the street. From above, its outline resembles a coffin. Locals say that's a tribute to the Jewish cemetery that once occupied this site.

Construction began in 1818 under King Fernando VII, but the opera house was plagued by delays, redesigns and collapsing budgets, finally opening in 1850. Then, in 1925, the building began to sink into a buried river running beneath it. The doors closed and stayed closed, reopening briefly in 1966 before a full renovation returned it to life in 1997.

Queen Isabella II had championed its creation, determined that Madrid deserved an opera house worthy of a great capital. VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours trace this turbulent history through the surrounding streets. They connect the theatre to the Royal Palace, the old Moorish walls beneath Plaza de Oriente and the Jewish quarter that once stretched across this corner of the city.