The Plaza Mayor of Madrid is located in the center of the city, a few meters from the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol and Plaza de la Villa near Calle Mayor.

Plaza Mayor - Madrid visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Plaza Mayor' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Madrid.

Plaza Mayor is an important plaza in Madrid, and very popular tourist attraction. The ectangular square is surrounded by by three-story residential buildings with 237 balconies facing the Plaza. It is found half way between the Plaza de la Villa and the Gate of the Sun.

Nine entrances lead into the square and under the porticoes is a ring of old and traditional shops and cafes. The square is heavily used during the Celebrations for San Isidro, patron saint of Madrid. It is dominated by Casa de la Panadería.

Life in Plaza Mayor has not always been so pleasant. While often used as a market place, or for football matches, Plaza Mayor was also used for bull fights, and some of the walls are still stained with bull blood. The square has also been the site of public executions, and 'autos de fe' and summary public executions of heretics during the Spanish Inquisition.

Plaza Mayor - History

Plaza Mayor was built during the Habsburg period, first laid out in 1589 when Philip II of Spain asked Juan de Herrera, a renowned Renaissance architect, to remodel the busy and chaotic area of the old Plaza del Arrabal. Construction did not start until 1617, under the guidance of Juan Gomez de Mora during the reign of king Philip III. The porticoes of Plaza Mayor were built in 1619.

The original park was devastated by a spate of fires and in 1790 Juan de Villanueva was place in charge of reconstruction, resulting in the layout present today. The equestrian statue of Philip III in the center of the square was made by Giambologna in 1616, and moved to it's current location in 1848.

Plaza Mayor, Madrid - 28013 -

Metro: Sol (1, 3, 5), Opera (1, 3, 5)