About This Location
Stand still for a moment and take in the space around you. Plaza Mayor is one of the great public squares of old Madrid. Before this elegant rectangle existed, this was the Plaza del Arrabal, the town's main market. After Philip II moved the royal court from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the area was redesigned, and under Philip III the architect Juan Gómez de Mora gave it the ordered form that made it one of the symbols of historic Madrid. Look around at the arcades, the repeated windows, and the long enclosed shape of the plaza. This was never only a beautiful square. It hosted markets, festivals, bullfights, beatifications, royal ceremonies, and even acts of the Inquisition. In 1790 a devastating fire almost destroyed it, and the architect Juan de Villanueva rebuilt it, reducing the height of the buildings and creating the arches that help define the square today. At the center stands the equestrian statue of Philip III. The bronze figure was begun by Giambologna and completed by Pietro Tacca in 1616. It first stood at Casa de Campo and was moved here in 1848 by order of Queen Isabella II, which is why the king now seems to command the whole square from its exact middle. Now turn toward Casa de la Panadería, the painted building facing the statue. It began around 1590 and once controlled the sale and price of bread for the city. Today it contains the Plaza Mayor Tourist Information Centre in its Salón de Columnas, where visitors can get maps, advice, and practical help. The frescoes on the façade were added in 1992 by Carlos Franco, giving the building its vivid modern image. Before moving on, glance toward the Arco de Ciudad Rodrigo. It is one of the square's historic entrances and is especially noted for its oblique layout. Madrid's tourism history notes that the royal procession once passed through this arch on its way from the palace area toward Atocha. That detail says a lot about Plaza Mayor - this was a market, a theater, a ceremonial space, and a crossroads of city life all at once.