La Puerta de Alcalá

The Puerta de Alcalá is located in Madrid's Plaza de la Independencia. It's one of the symbols of the Spanish capital and is located a few metres away from the Plaza de Cibeles and the Retiro Park, in an area heavy with traffic and pedestrians. It has been declared a Social Interest Good.

The actual Puerta de Alcalá was constructed due to King Carlos III in 1778 by Italian architect Francesco Sabatini, and substitutes the previous gate that was there before.

Back in the day, the Puerta de Alcalá was one of the five royal gates from which one could enter into Madrid, seeing as the city was walled.

The Puerta de Alcalá is very big and is built of stones. It measures nearly 22 metres high and is almost 44 metres wide. It is of neoclassical style and, curiously, it is the first Arc de Triomphe built in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Puerta de Alcalá features five arches, the lateral ones boasting a rectangular form, whereas the three central arches are circular in form and are larger than the lateral ones. Moreover, there are various columns distributed throughout the Puerta de Alcalá that reinforce its image and structure.

Along its facade that gices onto the Plaza de Cibeles, we can notice on the top several war trophies, and, resting on the straight edges there are four seated soldiers.

The Puerta de Alcalá's other facade features four sculptures of children on its upper part. The children represent the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, strength and temperance. The boy representing prudence is carrying a mirror in one hand, the boy representing strength is carrying a spear and a shield, and the boy representing temperance is carrying a bracket. Finally, at the highest point of the monument there is a coat of arms supported by the fame.

Inscribed on both facades on the upper part of the monument, it is written “REGE CAROLO III ANNO MDCCLXXVIII”.

The closest metro station to the Puerta de Alcalá is "Retiro" (line 2).

Oh, and one more thing about the Puerta de Alcalá: it has its own song! It has a very catchy tune and elaborated by Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel, two very well-known Spanish artists. Moreover, we can still see today in the orifices on the stone due to the projection of bullets that struck the moument during the Spanish Civil War and other battles, and even though the Puerta de Alcalá has been reformed several times, it was not walled up until the moment.

Seeing as it is the symbol of Madrid, the Puerta de Alcalá is usually the site of many important celebrations and happening, as well as some protests.

There it was, in the middle of the square, at the intersection of all the national roads, "the horse". This chivalrous, warlike or even romantic figure, which appears in the center of many important squares and that for the majority of passerby's stays there, in the center of that square of that city. Well, one only needs to get up close and spend a few seconds reading the statue "in situ" (in its original place) or simply watching a report or reading a book to know that the man who is seen atop of that horse is Carlos III, a former Spanish King and much loved mayor of the capital city. It is for that reason, that he is where he is.

To his left, next to the famous Bear and Strawberry tree statue, is the current home of the official Apple store. Well, that building, originally was the city's first hotel - Hotel Paris. In the bar situated in the basement of this hotel, an interesting anecdote took place; the writer Valle Inclán had an argument with a colleague, in which, as recorded by a commemorative plaque on one of the exterior walls of the building, the former lost an arm.

Two more stories, two facts, two very interesting experiences which both took place in the center of Madrid.