Paris1972-Versailles2003

One of the emblematic squares of Madrid, the world comes here yes, but still a lot of flavor to find the little niches in and around it. I have been coming here since a child and as a teen came to eat in one of its institutions still open. I have a couple other post on the square but found me ,again, some pictures not in my blog and they should be, Therefore, here is my take on the Plaza Mayor of Madrid ,part I !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Coming to Madrid and not the Plaza Mayor you will not be able to tell you were in the city. I am coming to it and see its transformation since childhood and always amazes me to see it. It is part of the quinssentional Madrid. And  a great spot to look down on it or as we say, from Madrid to heaven and a hole in the sky to look down on it every day. Best to walk here and walk it ,glorious indeed ! Best to walk but if far than use public transports taking you here from many sites in 
Madrid. The more popular are by metro lines 1,2, and 3 at Sol and even better by bus as above you see more are the lines  17 ,18,23,31,35, and 65.

Located in the Centro (center) district and in the Barrio de Sol (neighborhood), the square is in the form of a rectangle measuring 129 by 94 meters. Entirely pedestrian, it is accessible via nine entrances, including several connect it to Calle Mayor, One of them is the Tunnel of Calle Mayor,(Calle del 7 de Julio), Calle de Felipe III, Calle de Postas, Calle de Zaragoza, Calle de Gerona, Calle de Botoneras, Calle de Toledo, Cava de San Miguel (Arcos de Cuchillero), and Calle de Ciudad Rodrigo.  At the southwest corner of the square, a pretty passage is known as the Arco de Cuchilleros. This arch takes its name from the butcher knife street which supplied knives to the butchers of the market. This passage leads to a staircase which provides access to many restaurants. And my all time favorite Las Cuevas de Luis Candela (see post).

The square is one of the most active centers of the 17C Madrid. Shows of all kinds are held there such as bullfights, trials of the Inquisition, lumberjacks, etc. The crowd attends these public acts from the balconies overlooking it.  Nowadays it is an indispensable site of Madrid tourism and one of the emblems of the capital. Summer and end of year holidays are the most lively times.  And it was time for the anniversary, happy birthday Plaza Mayor! (by now 403 yrs old)  Plaza Mayor celebrated as the beating heart of Madrid.. Just as Madrid has become a center for government, art, nightlife and football, Plaza Mayor is all at once,market, park, cafe and stage. Don’t let the pricey drinks fool you: underneath all the gaudiness lie 400 years of la vida Madrileña (Madrilene lives).  The Plaza Mayor, the center of it all ,wonderfully decorated on its façades with a great equestrian statue of king Felipe III done in 1616 but place here since 1848. It dates from the 1580 until finished by 1619, when it was one of the limits of the city.

A bit of history I like tell us that originally known as Plaza de la Villa, it then takes the one of Plaza Mayor. Between 1631 and 1790, the square is ravaged by three fires that impose its reconstruction every time. The last of these is the work of Juan de Villanueva, which was pursued by the architects Aguado and Moreno on his death. It was only at the completion of the project, in 1854, that the place took its present form, notably marked by lower buildings (three floors instead of five) and a series of arcades.  In 1848, the equestrian statue of king Felipe III, produced by Jean de Bologna and Pietro Tacca at the beginning of the 17C, was placed in the center. In 1812, by decree, the most important squares in Spain were all renamed Plaza de la Constitucion in honor of the new constitution. The place thus bears this name until the restoration of king Fernando VII in 1814, when it became the Plaza Real, before becoming the Plaza de la Constitucion three times (1820-1823, 1833-1835 and 1840-1843). Renamed Plaza de la Républica in 1873, and then again in the Constitution after the restoration, it retained this last name until the beginning of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. The proclamation of the Second Republic provokes a new change in favor of the Plaza de la Constitucion, but at the end of the Spanish Civil War it takes over the name we know today, as Plaza Mayor. For almost 150 years, at Christmas in the Plaza Mayor, numerous stands selling Christmas items, joke objects and disguises of all kinds have invaded the square. Every Sunday morning, collectors of stamps and coins will find what they are looking for there.

The Madrid tourist office on the Plaza Mayor : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/plaza-mayor-madrid

The Comunidad de Madrid tourist office on the Plaza Mayor: https://turismomadrid.es/en/pagina-inicio-website/174-madrid-en/17229-plaza-mayor.html

There you go folks, now you are all set to visit this wonderful old square ,only in time as it is always young and vibrant, the heartbeat of Madrid, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Plaza Mayor of Madrid, part I !!! as I.,

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!