Madrid – First steps in the heart of Spain

We reach Madrid with the high-speed train around lunchtime. From the terminus station Atocha we take the metro to the station San Bernardo at Gran Via. A few meters away is the Plaza de Santo Domingo with the same named hotel.

Hotel Santo Domingo

The Hotel Santo Domingo is very centrally located, ideal to explore the city on foot. The rooms are modern and have a free WLAN access.

In the courtyard there is Europe’s highest leaves curtain that extends from the roof to the ground floor. On the rooftop you find a swimming pool and a bar where you cool down and relax.

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After quickly checking in at the hotel, we start our tour

Exploring the city center

In Calle Preciados, adjacent to the Plaza de Santo Domingo, we find plenty of restaurants, so we are sure not to go hungry here. But the street is also known for expensive fashion shops.

At Plaza del Callao, which is again at the Gran Via, we marvel the magnificent buildings.

But we first want to visit Plaza Mayor, therefore we turn into Calle del Postigo de Martin San, a beautiful by-road.

At the Plaza de San Martin we reach the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales (Convent of the Barefoot Royal). Joanna of Austria, the daughter of king Charles V and Isabella of Portugal, founded it for young unmarried or widowed women who brought their dowry, including works of Titian, Rubens, Hans de Becken and Brueghel the Elder.

Quickly the convent was one of the wealthiest in Europe. By the demo graphic change the convent became impoverished, however, was not allowed to sell its treasures. Therefore the pope 1960 issued a special permission to change the collection to a museum. Today only a few nuns live in the convent, but the museum can be visited.

We cross the Calle del Arenal, at the end one can the opera house, and are again amazed about the magnificent facades of the houses. Along the Calle de Bordadores and Calle Siete de Julio, we reach the

Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor forms the center of Madrid. The rectangular square has 9 entrances. It is completely surrounded by four-storied buildings. Most important are the Casa de la Panaderia (Bakery House) with its wall paintings and opposite the Casa de la Carniceria (Butchery House). In the Casa de la Panaderia you find the Tourist Office.

The history of the Plaza Mayor  goes back to the 15th century. Originally, it was the place where the main market was organized. The first house with colonnade was built at that time. After the royal court had moved to Madrid in 1560, Philip II commissioned the architects Juan de Herrera with the redesign of the square in 1580. Over time, the square was destroyed three times by major fires.

The last reconstruction was carried out in 1790 by Juan de Villanueva and his two sons, Antonio López Aguado and Custodio Moreno. In 1960, the Plaza Mayor was completely renovated and the painting attached to the Bakery House by Pietro Tacca.

The goddess Cybele symbolizes the city of Madrid and is presented in the context of different historical events in Madrid. Today the square is of used for various events, like exhibitions, cultural events or the traditional Christmas fair.

Despite all the wealth, the financial crisis has left its mark also in Madrid.

However, the Plaza Mayor is also known for the Autodáfes (act of faith) carried out by the inquisition. The enforcement of judgments, often the death at the stake, was performed directly on the spot. Those who had been sentenced to imprisonment, were put into the prison on the Plaza de la Provincia, just behind the Plaza Mayor.

The better-off convicts were allowed to serve their sentences in the upper floors. Under Philip IV of Spain the building was converted to a palace, the Palacio de Santa Cruz.

It is one of the most important palatial buildings in Madrid and is declared a Spanish Cultural Property (Bien de Interés Cultural). Today it houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and is not open to the public.

Besides the equestrian statue of Philip III, the variety of small shops and restaurants under the colonnades are particularly remarkable.

Through the Calle de la Sal and Calle Postas we stroll to the

Puerta del Sol

The Puerta del Sol lies northeast of the Plaza Mayor. It was once the center of Spain. Here is the Kilometer Zero, Spain’s central point where six main national roads of Spain run star-shaped together. The square and the surrounding side streets are only for pedestrians. In addition, all important metro lines arrive here.

To the south is the Casa de Correos, originally built as a post-office. Today it serves as seat of the Comunidad de Madrid, the government of the autonomous community Madrid. Every year, 12 strokes of a bell from its bell tower ring in the New Year.

Puerta del Sol is the place, where José Canalejas, the Prime Minister of Spain, was assassinated by the anarchist Manuel Serrano Pardiñas in 1912 and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed in 1931.

The square is embellished with plants, two fountains, the equestrian statue of King Charles III and the 4 m of high statue Oso y Madroño (bear and strawberry tree) of Antonio Navarro Santa Fe.

Oso y Madroño is the emblem of Madrid and can be found in the coat of arms of Madrid. It symbolizes the agreement between clergy (tree) and nobility (bear), who had apportioned the country in the Middle Ages.

In the Calle Alcalá at the Plaza de Canalejas we enjoy a coffee and admire in the meantime the two Quadrigas of the Banco de Bilbao. The opposite building, the Palace of Equitativa Banco Español de Crédito (Banesto) has been completely eroded and is currently a construction site.

We reach the Plaza de Canalejas via the Calle Seville. La Casa de Allende impresses us because of its unique architecture here. The architect Leonardo Rucabado built it in 1916 for Thomas de Allende.

In the Calle de la Cruz we found a variety of small shops, tapas bars and restaurants. We did not know where to look first.

Picturesque motives can be found every few meters.

We particularly liked the shop Jamones Enrique Tomas. Right next to it we find beautiful street art.

We continue our walk to the Plaza del Angel and the Plaza Jacinto Benavente

At the Plaza de la Provincia we come back to the Palacio de Santa Cruz, the former prison, already mentioned above. The reddish color with white bordered windows is a feature of Habsburg architecture.

El Madrid de los Austrias, as it is still called today, is Madrid’s historic center with Plaza Mayor as core. It is an heir of the House of Habsburg, which had shaped Spain from 1504 to 1700.

We arrive at the Mercado de San Miguel. Policemen patrolling on horses shall convey a feeling of the safety.

Unexpected encounters

We cross the Calle Major and turn into Calle Milaneses. A sign Peluqueria / Barberia de Los Austrias makes us curious. The friendly hairdresser encourages us to film his shop. He is not an Austrian – he’s Mexican. In his shop he has a collection of curious objects, including Coca Cola bottles around the year 1900’s (see video).

Not far away in the Calle Espejo the owner of the Taberna Casa Boni asked us to film his restaurant. After initial hesitation, we agree. It was a good decision, because he invites us to participate at a street festival in Barrio Santiago on the following Saturday.

The owner Luis Boni tells us that a community from all walks of life meets once a week in his taverna. During the street festival we will get to know them. We gratefully accept the invitation and and hurry to get back to the hotel, because we have an appointment with a friend from Madrid.

Passing the Plaza Isabel II and the backside of the Teatro Real (Opera), we take the Costanilla de los Angeles back to the hotel at Plaza de Santo Domingo.

Nevertheless we can already say that the city of Madrid immediately casts a spell over us.

Please read on > An evening in Madrid

Disclosure: We like to thank the Tourist Office Madrid  for sponsoring our stay in Madrid. All opinions and impressions are our own.

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