Madrid A-Z

"To the east of Old Madrid, there once lay an idyllic district of market gardens known as the Prado – the 'Meadow.' In the 16th century a monastery was built there...the palace gardens are now the popular Parque del Retiro."











B. Bourbon Madrid: Puerta de Alcala

Located across the Calle de Alcala in Bourbon Madrid is the Plaza de la Indepencia which, at it center, rises the Puerta de Alcala, built by the great Italian architect Sabatani. Most newcomers to Spain no doubt eventually find themselves wandering to the east, as it is called, and stroll the Paseo del Prado, lined by museums and galleries, botanical gardens and gems of Renaissance architecture. The Puerta is said to be the oldest among the great European arches dedicated to the triumphs of their city, including the Arc de Triumph in Paris. It is a ceremonial gateway, erected by Carlos III, (1759-88) in his efforts to improve eastern Madrid. Construction of the Puerta was begun in 1769 and lasted a total of nine years. It has five arches, built from granite in Neo Classical style, with a lofty pediment and sculpted angels.  The description mentions that it is best seen when floodlit at night, a very nice detail to consider as we are stationed to stay directly across the street in the Hotel Hospes Puerta Alcala, residing inside a royal house from the 19th century. A very brief sprint across the Calle de Alcala and the Plaza will no doubt very quickly become our visual headquarters, as it is the origin of another series of streets and plazas that surround the great Parque del Retiro, once the setting for Felipe IV's palace, the Real Sitio del Been Retiro, originally a private playground of the royal family, only becoming open to the public in 1869. Here is where a fine mid morning jaunt sounds like as fine a way to begin a day as there is in Madrid, looking out over the lake, where rowing boats can be hired and, no doubt, as one gathers in this view, looking back over the right shoulder at the hotel, the Puerta at its front most entry, it could be seen that the centuries are gradually moving backwards in time all the while traffic marches forward into their own daily history.