Carabanchel

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Carabanchel is a neighbourhood in the south western suburbs of Madrid, Spain.

The area was the scene of fierce fighting during the Spanish Civil War -especially in November 1936, during the Battle of Madrid, when Nationalist troops tried to fight their way into the area. unacustomed to street fighting, they took heavy casualties. For the remainder of the Siege of Madrid (1936-39), the front lines ran through the streets of Carabanchel, until Republican Madrid fell in March 1939.

It was home of Spain's most notorious prison, which housed many political prisoners during the Franco era. The prison was closed in 1998.

Carabanchel is amongst the most diverseneighborhoods in the country, with a large population of immigrants, mostly from North Africa but also some from South America and Eastern Europe, as well as native-born Spaniards.

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