The Puerta de Toledo of Madrid !!!

Posted in Europe, Madrid, Spain

And of course, back in my sublime sentimental dear Madrid, This is another nice monument full of history and wonderful architecture, I took this picture from another mix post as felled should have a post of its own, Therefore, here is my take on the Puerta de Toledo of Madrid !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Currently, the Puerta de Toledo is located in the middle of a roundabout and surrounded by a landscaped area, so there is no pedestrian or vehicular traffic through it. The construction of an underground tunnel beneath the gate has caused the ground on which it stands to settle slightly, resulting in a barely perceptible deformation of the central arch. Neoclassical in style, it consists of a central semicircular arch and two lintelled doorways on either side. The decoration comprises fluted half-columns of the Ionic order flanking the central arch, and pilasters of the same style framing the sides. It is crowned by a stone sculptural group. On the north façade, the coat of arms of Madrid appears, supported by two children. Above the side doors rest military trophies facing south. On the south-facing the exterior façade, an allegory of Spain is depicted in the center, supporting a shield placed on two hemispheres. The allegory is receiving a genius of the provinces, personified by a matron positioned to Spain’s right. To move on to the arts on the left, another matron is depicted with their attributes. The military trophies facing south appear in different arrangements. Among the trophies, the standards, plumes, and various weaponry stand out. Above the main door, on the frieze located below the main sculptural group, there is a Latin inscription, which translates as: To Ferdinand VII, the Desired, Father of the Nation, restored to his people, the French usurpation exterminated, the City Council of Madrid consecrates this monument of fidelity, triumph, and joy, Year 1727.

A bit of history I like tell us that it was the last monumental gate erected within the old city walls of Madrid. Built between 1813 and 1827, it was restored by the Madrid City Council in 1995. Already in the original city walls built in the 15C, there was an access gate called the Toledo Gate located near the Hospital de la Latina, from which the road to the neighboring city of Toledo began. This first Pueta de Toledo was situated at the intersection of Calle de Toledo and Calle de Santa Ana. This gate was surrounded by a wall that extended to the Calle de Embajadores, crossed Lavapiés, and ran, via Calle de Magdalena, to Plaza Antón Martín Square . In 1625, with the construction of the wall built by Felipe (Philip) IV, a second gate was erected, located somewhat closer to the city center than the current one, on Calle de Toledo. It was located near the Casa-Matadero (Slaughterhouse). The first plans for the current gate date back to the Napoleonic occupation, during the reign of Joseph Bonaparte,(José I) when its design was ordered to improve the entrance to Madrid from the old Royal Road of Andalusia. After the demolition of the old Toledo Gate, the new gate was moved to its current location in 1813, the year in which construction of the current Puerta de Toledo began, finishing in 1827. Today, the Toledo Gate is considered a monument of the city. Restorations carried out by the Madrid City Council in 1995 allowed it to regain some of its original appearance.

The Puerta de Toledo commemorates the arrival of  king Fernando VII to Madrid.  It was built close to the current La Latina neighborhood , in the flea market or rastro of Madrid . It is 19 meters high and is comprised of three archways. The central arch is the tallest. It has a rounded semicircular arch, To get to Puerta de Toledo you can take the Metro on line 5, getting off at Puerta de Toledo station. Alternatively, you can take a bus; numbers 3, N3, 60, 17, 18, 23, 35 and 148 will all take you there.

The Madrid tourist office on the Puerta de Toledo:  https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/puerta-de-toledo

There you go folks, another nice walk , and beautiful architecture and history of my dear Madrid, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Puerta de Toledo of Madrid !!! as I.

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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