Paris1972-Versailles2003

We are back to my dear Spain again !! love it !! We came by car of course and took time to see new areas and old repeat as could not be in Spain without stopping in my Madrid! I came again with my boys and dog Rex, and it was a thrill as usual! I like to tell you more of Madrid to heaven and a hole in the sky to look down on it everyday !!! Let me take you to the Plaza Mayor of Madrid , part II !!! Sit back and enjoy with me the next several posts ; and hope you enjoy it as I.

The city of Madrid is the capital of the kingdom of Spain, and located in the Comunidad de Madrid region From my latest escapes it is 211 km from Valladolid City , 198 km from our rental house in Velliza, 183 km from Tordesillas, 172 km from Rueda, 159 km from Medina del Campo, 199 km from Simancas, We made long walks all over the City , and took the metro when necessary, three times. I love to tell you of our latest escape to the wonderful City, for the memories of always and return, eventually. This is a must no matter what when in my Madrid.

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. Located in the district of the Centro and in the neighborhood of Sol. The Plaza Mayor was inaugurated in 1620, it is a rectangular square, 129 meters by 94 meters, bordered by arcades. The square is surrounded by 3-story residential buildings. There are 237 balconies. The ground floor of these constructions is embellished with granite arches.This square witnessed many public events, such as bullfights, processions, feasts, theatrical performances, Inquisition trials and even executions. The City of Madrid tourist office is also located in the square, in the famous Casa de la Panaderia.

Another curious facts is that each arch of the Plaza Mayor has its name: four of them, depending on the corporation or the commercial activity they housed, such as the Arc de Cuchilleros (cutlers), de la Sal (of salt), Paños ( or draperies which no longer exists) and Botoneras (buttonholes). Seven more are important dates and strategic places, such as the Arc de Triomphe (to commemorate the victory of the national militia over the Royal Guard), the Arc de Ciudad Rodrigo (to remember the recapture of the city), the Arc of Felipe III , the Arc of Calle Zaragoza (to commemorate the defense of this city), the Arc of Calle Toledo (to underline the road that led to Toledo), the Arc of Calle Gerona (in memory of its defense during the War of Independence) and the Arc of Calle 7 de Julio (don’t forget the day when the national militia defended the Plaza Mayor from the attack of the royal guard).

Delimited by a set of granite arcades, the square is surrounded with three-stories apartment buildings and 237 balconies. Under the arcades, galleries house a set of traditional shops, as well as specialized shops. These are my favorites and long patronized them!

Casa de la Panaderia or House of the bakery ,first seat of the royal administration of weights and measures, it shelters from 1745 to 1774 the Royal Academy of Fine Arts San Fernando, then until 1871 the Royal Academy of History. Since then it has been hosting various municipal services.  After the second fire suffered by the square, in 1672, the Casa de la Panaderia  is redecorated and adorned with frescoes designed by Claudio Coello and José Jiménez Donoso. In 1988, the municipality organized a competition to modify these frescoes. Mythological figures (Cybele, Proserpine, Bacchus, Cupid, etc.) and imaginaries are then carried out. The last of the performances in the Plaza Mayor, carried out in 1992, consisted of the mural decoration, work of Carlos Franco, of the Casa de la Panaderia, representing mythological characters like the goddess Cibeles. The tourist office of the city is also on the square, in the famous Casa de la Panaderia! In the centered upper part of the Casa de la Panaderia  is carved in stone a blazon with the weapons of king Carlos II. Given the absence of Portugal’s weapons, it can be deduced that the shield was styled at a later date than 1668, when the Spanish Crown recognized the independence of Portugal, which was de facto from 1640. The shield is composed of the arms of Castilla and León , in the first quadrant; the arms of Aragon and Sicily, in the second; the weapons of Austria and modern Burgundy, in the third; those of ancient Burgundy and Brabant, in the fourth, those of Flanders and Tyrol in the escutcheon below and the symbol of Granada in the center of the Shield, Casa de la Carniceria or house of the butchers located on the south side, it is originally built on an unknown date. After the fire of 1631, it is rebuilt on the model of the Casa de la Panaderia or house of the bakery. It owes its name to the fact that it first served as a general store for meat. Arcos de Cuchilleros or Arch of Cutlers located at the southwest corner, it is the work of Juan de Villanueva, who designs it with an important difference in level in order to connect it to the edge of the square. It owes its name to the old calle de Cuchilleros, a corporation that provided the butchers of the market square. Below the staircase there are many typical restaurants. The Arcos de Cuchilleros is perhaps the most famous of the ten accesses of the Plaza Mayor  ( like Calle 7 de Julio, Arco de Triunfo, and Felipe III to the north; Sal, Zaragoza and Gerona to the east; Botoneras, Toledo and Cuchilleros to the south (the official name of this access is Calle de la Escalerilla de Piedra (ladder of stone); and Ciudad Rodrigo to the west, and located in the southwest corner of the square:Plaza Mayor. There is another entry by the left of the Casa de la Carniceria  that has no exit to the square, and another arch on the left of the facade smaller that also has no exit to the square. This is my most memorable part of the square.

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 of 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.

Any day you go to the Plaza Mayor you will see street artists, painters, a fair or a special exhibition there, but if you go on a Sunday you will see the market which is installed under its arcades, where you will find coins, stamps and collectibles. There are also stalls selling fabrics, hats and souvenirs. But if you visit the Plaza Mayor in December, you can enjoy the Christmas market with its colors, lights, costume stalls and decorations to celebrate these special dates.

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://www.visitmadrid.es/en/places-to-visit-in-madrid/madrid-the-capital-of-spain/plaza-mayor-your-essential-guide-to-the-heart

There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Spain, Madrid is always nostalgic sentimental words cannot describe it ! This is a vibrant cosmopolitan cities of friendly faces and smiles to share in long conversations about life and more ; I love it, And these places are part of my life forever ! We will be back ,eventually!, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Plaza Mayor of Madrid, part II !!! as I

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