The historic Cuartel del Conde Duque, an outstanding 18th-century edifice in the heart of Madrid, is now a big cultural centre with over 58,000 square metres of floor space. Its north end shelters institutions for the conservation and dissemination of the collections and holdings of the Madrid City Council: the City Archive, the Municipal Periodicals Library, the Historic Library, the Víctor Espinós Public Library, the Digital Library and the Contemporary Art Museum. The south end, its exhibition rooms, the auditorium, the theatre and the assembly hall are the venues of a wide-ranging cultural programme comprising exhibitions, concerts, theatre, festivals and cultural activities throughout the year.