| Puerta
del Sol (Gate of the Sun)
 This
is the very heart of Madrid and therefore the heart of Spain;
it's the inevitable starting point for any tour of the city. From
there six of Spain's national highways officially begin and, beneath
the streets, three of the city's 12 Metro lines converge. To mark
this as the center of the nation, a stone slab embedded with a
bronze disk in the pavement shows Kilometer Cero. Across the street
from that marker, at the end of Calle del Carmen, is a statue
of a bear pawing a bush (el Oso y El Madrono). This is both the
emblem of the city and a favorite meeting place.
 Calle
Mayor runs southwest from the Puerta del Sol towards the Palacio
Realand is one of Madrid's oldest and most important thoroughfares,
taking you through the heart of the medieval city. At the Plaza
de la Villa you'll find examples of Spanish architectural developed
over three centuries ago. The oldest is the Torre de los Lujanes,
a 15th-century building in Mudejar style. Next oldest is the Casa
de Cisneros, built in the ornate, 16th-century Spanish Renaissance
style. The Ayuntamiento (City Hall) building was begun in the
17th century but finished in a baroque style. It's open to the
public every working Monday throughout the year at 5 pm.
Plaza Mayor
Set back from Calle Mayor
it is an almost perfectly preserved and extremely beautiful 17th-century
square. It was completed in 1619 during the reign of Felipe III-a
statue of him astride a stallion is at the center of the plaza.
Many great historical events took place in this huge square: the
tribunals and public executions of the Inquisition, the crowning
of kings, great festivals, demonstrations, and bullfights. During
summer months the royal balconies on the north side of the square
become an outdoor theater and music stage; and in the winter,
just before Christmas, the square becomes a bazaar for festive
decorations and religious regalia.
Throughout the afternoon hours
plaza cafes serve drinks and tapas to patrons sitting for hours.
Around and below the Plaza Mayor are some of the city's liveliest
mesones (tapas bars). This area is ripe with passing tunas-student
groups dressed in Renaissance knickerbockers and doublets-wandering
around town playing, singing and passing the hat.
Casa de Lope de Vega
This house of Spain's greatest
dramatist is, ironically, on Calle de Cervantes (Lope de Vega's
greatest rival). It's well worth visiting for its reconstruction
of life in 17th-century Madrid.
Plaza de Cibeles
This is the convergence of the three huge thoroughfares of Alcala,
Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Los Recoletos. The middle of the
plaza displays a beautiful enchanting fountain dedicated to the
goddess Cybele. The imposing building across the way with the
golden sphere on its roof is the main office for the Banco de
Espana (Bank of Spain). The wedding-cake building on the opposite
side of the plaza is the Palacio de Comunicaciones, Madrid's main
post and telegraph office. Nearby is the Casa de Las Americas.
Built by a Spaniard who made his way back from the New World,
it was the site of ceremonies in 1992 commemorating the 500th
anniversary of Columbus' "discovery" of America. It
is currently used as a cultural center promoting the arts of Latin
America.
Teatro Real (Opera House)
This prestigious hall was
built in the mid 19th century; it almost sank in the early 20th
century as a result of settling caused by underground canals.
After nine years of refurbishment and technical reconditioning,
it is now considered one of the great opera houses of the world.
In addition to opera performances, the Teatro hosts dance productions
and the Spanish form of opera called zarzuela.
Palacio Real (Royal Palace)
This building claims more
rooms than any other European palace. It has a library with one
of the biggest collections of books, manuscripts, maps and musical
scores in the world; an armory with an unrivaled collection of
weapons dating back to the 1400s; and an original pharmacy-a curious
mixture of alchemist's den and early laboratory. There are dozens
of Flemish and Spanish tapestries, endless rococo decorations,
bejeweled clocks and pompous portraits of monarchs. Built after
the previous palace burned down on Christmas Day 1734, it was
the principal royal residence until Alfonso XIII went into exile
in 1931.
The current royal family inhabits
a more modest residence on the outskirts of the city, using the
Palacio Real only on state occasions.
Gran Via. A broad street leading southeast toward the Plaza Callao
and from there east to the Plaza de Cibeles, effectively dividing
the old city to the south from the newer parts northward. Built
in the early 1900s and intended to resemble Manhattan's Broadway
of that period, this avenue is always jammed with traffic and
crowded with shoppers and sightseers.
El Parque del Buen Retiro
 This
park is the most central and popular park in Madrid with a delightful
mixof formal gardens and wide-open spaces. The grounds of this
former royal retreat contain 330 acres (135 hectares) of gardens,
15,000 trees, monuments, and fountains. Jog or stroll through
the park, row a boat across the lake, have your fortune told.
Some small stands and cafes sell drinks and sandwiches. The city
council organizes ferias (fairs) and the biggest is the Feria
del Libro, or Book Fair, in early June. On summer evenings free
films are shown in the area known as La Chopera. |
