I look back in my blog and saw some nice older pictures not in , and they should be for you and me, I have taken nice walks on some of these wonderful streets of always in a wonderful city like Madrid, heavens! This is the city that I spread my wings sort of speak when at an early teen in town, and eager to learn all of it, took me to many places, Some more than others but all wonderful memories of youth that been lucky to relive for many years and introduce them to my family,friends, and now those following my blog, Therefore, here is my new take on the streets of Madrid ,part VIII !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Calle de San Bernardo runs from Plaza de Santo Domingo to Glorieta de Quevedo, in the Centro district, bordering the Universidad and Palacio neighborhoods or barrios, and Chamberí, the section that runs between Glorietas de Ruiz Jiménez and Quevedo. During the 19C, the final section of the street, between the aforementioned Plazas de Ruiz Jiménez and Quevedo, was named Calle de las Navas de Tolosa. It took its current name from Bernard of Clairvaux, a French saint of the 11C and reformer of the Cistercian order. Among the buildings that remain on this street are the Palace of Justice, an 18C mansion built by the Marchioness of Sonora, on the site occupied by the house of the Marquis of Regalía. At no, 80, the Escuela Normal Superior de Estudios Especiales, occupying the urban space that housed the convent of Santa Clara and the former Central University, which gives its name to the neighborhood, and was built to continue the work of Cardinal Cisneros in Alcalá de Henares. The house known as the Mansionero de San Bernardo occupied part of the primitive Jesuit seminary, founded in 1602. Opposite it, on the corner of Calle del Pez, is the Bauer Palace, which housed the National Conservatory of Music and Declamation and was later converted into the headquarters of the Escuela Superior de Canto. And at no 70 is the Lope de Vega Institute, created in 1933. At no 35 there is a plaque commemorating the stay of Emilia Pardo Bazán in what was her home between 1890 and 1915. Among the religious buildings, it is worth mentioning the Convent of the Salesas Nuevas, which was founded at the end of the 18C by María Luisa Centurión y Velasco, Marchioness of Villena. Another notable building is the Church of Our Lady of Montserrat (see pic). Among the pieces it contains, there is a copy of La Moreneta, patron saint of Catalonia.
The glorieta de Quevedo or roundabout is named after the Spanish writer of the Golden Age: Francisco Gómez de Quevedo Villegas. In the center there is a sculpture in honor of the writer carved by Agustín Querol in 1902. At the bottom of the block, referring to the themes dealt with by the writer in his works: lyric poetry, history, satirical novels and mysticism. In the front is Satire, intertwined with Poetry and on the back History and Prose. In the lower part there are reliefs of his works, with inscriptions of their titles, such as Vida de Santo Toás de Villanueva, Poderoso caballero, Don Dinero, Historia de Marco Bruto,and Vida del gran tacaño (miser). The fountain that serves as the base of the sculptural group was built in 1999. The Glorieta de Quevedo is located in Chamberí district, at the intersection of Fuencarral, San Bernardo, Arapiles, Bravo Murillo and Eloy Gonzalo streets. It is one of those places in Madrid that you enjoy passing by again and again. Its stately buildings, the wide and busy streets that surround it and alternate with other narrow, quieter ones full of charming businesses make any walk in the area pleasant.
A bit of history tell us that since the 17C, the Trapillo pilgrimage was celebrated near the Puerta de Fuencarral (called the Puerta de los Pozos or wells). The space that the square currently occupies was located on the outskirts in the 17C. It was a crossroads to the town of Fuencarral and France. The name of the roundabout, using the surname of the writer, was assigned to this square for the first time in 1860. The Canal de Isabel II inaugurated its first water service facilities in this square, moving the waters of the Lozoya River through conduits to the first tanks. On December 27, 1925, the Quevedo metro station was opened to the public, connected to lines 1 and 2 . The roundabout was the site of the monument to the heroes of the 2nd of May (originally erected in the roundabout of San Bernardo), until, in the 1960s, it was moved to its current location next to the Plaza de España. It was in that decade when the eponymous monument was installed in its place in the glorieta de Quevedo in honor of the writer of the Golden Age, originally erected in the Plaza de Alonso Martínez, Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Villegas (must say one of my favorites) was born in Madrid on September 17, 1580, he was deeply involved in the life and society of the Court. His father was secretary to Doña Ana, the fourth wife of king Felipe II. He was a parishioner at the Parish of San Ginés (church see post), studied at the Imperial College, and earned a degree in Arts in Alcalá de Henares (see posts). His life and work were characterized by satire and reflection, by bold and provocative ironies that led him into constant trouble and denial, to the point that, at times, it is difficult to distinguish whether many of the anecdotes told about him were legend or history. A master indeed.
Moving along, you have the Calle deToledo, (see post) which was the old access of various goods and food from the province to the town. The street begins in the Plaza Mayor by the arco de Cofreros,(see pic) reaches the Puerta de Toledo and continues to the Glorieta de Piràmides where it ends, linking with the Puente de Toledo in the old road that led to the city of Toledo. The peasants of the province accessed the street taking their merchandise to the interior markets such as the Mercados de la Cebada and San Miguel. It runs from its beginnings parallel to the Rastro of Madrid flea market. It had among its buildings the palacio de los condes de Humanes, the conde de Lerena , in 1630 lived on Calle Alonso Jerónimo de Salas Barbadillo at the height of Calle de la Colegiata. The portal of Cofreros, the Collegiate of San Isidro, and the Royal Studies of San Isidro, which occupy the old dependencies of the Imperial College, are the only buildings of historical-artistic interest of the time of the Austrias that have been conserved, in addition to “La Fuentecilla”, raised in tribute to Fernando VII of Spain in the beginning of Calle Arganzuela in 1814. I must add one of my parkings over the year is under the plaza Mayor.
The Gran Vía (see post) is entirely located in the Centro or city center district, it extends over the districts of Justicia, Parlamento, Sol, Universidad and Palacio, for a total length of 1 300 meters (4290 feet). It comprises three sections, the first of which extends from Calle de Alcalá to Plaza San Luis, the second to the Plaza Callao and finally the third to the Plaza de Espana (see pic). The project progressed, the three sections each bore a different name: Calle del Conde de Peñalver for the first, Avenidad Pi y Margallfor the second and Calle Eduardo Dato for the third. In April 1936, the first two sections took the name of Avenida de la CNT before being redesignated as the Avenue of Russia at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War by the leftist Republicans. A new change was made in November 1937 in favor of Avenue of the Soviet Union. That same year, the last stretch took the name of Avenue of Mexico. On 24 April 1939, after the victory of Gen. Franco, the ensemble was baptized Avenue José Antonio (as I came to know it first). Finally, in 1981, the Socialist mayor Enrique Tierno Galván gave it the official name of Gran Vía for the first time, and as of today. You have numerous buildings here but my fav are the Metrópolis building was inaugurated in 1911. It forms the point that separates Gran Vía from calle de Alcalá (my street). The Telefónica building was the tallest skyscraper in Spain from 1929 to 1953. It was also one of the first in Europe. The Madrid-Paris building, inaugurated in 1924, was at the time the first department store in the capital. In October 2015, after major renovation work, the Primark (we shopped!) chain opened a branch there. The Carrión building (aka Capitol building) Built between 1931 and 1933, it bears the name of its patron, Enrique Carrión y Vecín, Marquis of Melín. It is especially known for its huge illuminated sign in the colors of Schweppes.
The Glorieta de Cuatro Caminos gets its name from having been a crossroads of four roads: Calle Bravo Murillo (called the Camino de Francia), Avenida Reina Victoria (called the Camino de Aceiteros), Paseo de Santa Engracia (laid out in 1859) and Calle Raimundo Fernández Villaverde (previously called Paseo de la Ronda). In 1880 the first tram line was opened, running from Sol to Glorieta. The Madrid Metropolitan Company laid its first metro line from Sol to the current Cuatro Caminos. You can reach it on Metro Cuatro Caminos,(see pic light of 1919) lines 1,2,and 6. The section was inaugurated on 17 October 1919 by Alfonso XIII. The Glorieta de Cuatro Caminos was the entry point for channelled water from the Canal de Isabel II. In 1902 it was decided to name the roundabout in honor of Bravo Murillo (Plaza de Bravo Murillo), in 1917 as the Joaquín Ruiz roundabout, in 1931 as the Fourteenth April roundabout, in commemoration of the proclamation of the Republic, and finally being called the Cuatro Caminos roundabout by Franco’s imposition in 1940. Several literary works are set in the Cuatro Caminos roundabout, especially many episodes in novels by Pío Baroja, and Benito Pérez Galdós’s Tristana sets part of its plot in Cuatro Caminos.
The Plaza de las Comendadoras is a pedestrian plaza located in the Universidad barrio or neighborhood, in the Centro district . It is connected to Amaniel and Quiñones streets, very close to the Conde-Duque barracks and Plaza de España. You can reach it on metro Noviciado lines 2 3 and 10), San Bernardo lines 2 and 4, and Ventura Rodríguez line 3. See the old chimney of the old Mahou Brewery (now the ABC Museum) at Calle Amaniel 29-31 (see pic). This plaza also hosts the Pottery Fair in mid-May, coinciding with the San Isidro festivities. Potters and ceramic workers from all over the country come to display their ceramic pieces. It owes its name to the Convent of the Comendadoras de Santiago, founded in 1650 by order of Felipe IV, whose main façade occupies one side of the square. The church, dating from 1697but the construction of the convent was later, in 1753. In 1774, Charles III commissioned Francesco Sabatini to build a new building, which completed the development of the block. It is a magnificent example of a convent complex in Madrid, the only one that has been preserved in its entirety, as it still occupies a complete block of the old town and none of its original elements have been demolished.
The Madrid tourist office on its districts: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/madrid-neighbourhoods
The Madrid tourist office on maps and guides for the City: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/maps-and-essential-guides
The Madrid tourist office on the Gran Via: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/la-gran-via
There you go folks , a bit more of architecture and history wonders on the streets of my dear Madrid. Walking any city is great and in Madrid it is sublime !!! Again, hope you enjoy the post on the streets of Madrid ,part VIII !!! as I
And remember, happy travels , good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 