Puerta del Sol description and photos - Spain: Madrid (Topic)

Puerta del Sol description and photos - Spain: Madrid. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Puerta del Sol.

Photo and description

Another of the main and perhaps the most famous landmark of Madrid is Puerta del Sol, which is the central square of the city. This square was formed on the site of a former gate in the wall that surrounded the city in the Middle Ages. The square got its name thanks to this gate: Puerta del Sol means the Solar Gate. In 1521, the Gate of the Sun was demolished to widen the entrance to the city, the space around it increased, and thus a square was formed on this place.

Today, Puerta del Sol is shaped like a month and is the intersection eight roads at once. In the center of the square, a bronze plate is mounted in the ground, which is considered the zero point of reference for road distances in Spain, because Puerta del Sol is the center of Madrid, and Madrid, in turn, the center of the country.

In the center of the square there is a monument to Charles III, who is depicted sitting in the saddle, and at the corner with Carmen Street there are sculptures of the Bear and a strawberry tree made of bronze, which are symbols of the Spanish capital. It is these symbols that are depicted on the coat of arms of Madrid.

The Post Office building is also located here, the construction date of which dates back to 1761. The top of the tower of this building is decorated with a clock, which traditionally beats off blows on New Year's Eve, symbolizing the coming of the New Year. This building is now the seat of the government of the Autonomous Region of Madrid.

In 1919, the first line of the city's metro was laid just under Puerta del Sol.

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Topic: Puerta del Sol description and photos - Spain: Madrid.