Monuments, Madrid

I found it interesting that in Madrid's Retiro Park there is a fountain that portrays the Fallen Angel, Satan. Odd, isn't it, especially in a country where religion has played such an important role over the years.

The Fountain of the Fallen Angel (Fuente del Angel Caido) is the work of Madrid sculptor Ricard Bellver, who did the sculpture for use at the Worlds Fair. Eventually, the Prado Museum bought the work and in 1886 it was placed in the Retiro gardens.

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The Madrid stock exchange building is a jewel just to watch . The Bolsa de Madrid was created in 1831, as it is over 180 years of history ,that makes it one of the oldest financial institutions in Spain.
A bit of history:
The first bolsa or stock exchange in Madrid was located at Plazuela del Angel,corner with the calle Carretas in the center of Madrid. In 1832 it was changed to the Casa de Filipinas, near ,also,calle Carretas.In 1841 it is moved to the monastic cloister of the convent of San Martín, and in 1846 again moved to the monastery of Monasterio de las Monjas Bernardas, at calle Alcalá. A year later, it is moved again to the convent of Convento de los Basilios,in the street calle Desengaño. In 1875 , it is moved again!!! to the building of the old customs office or Aduana Vieja, in what was called the Plaza de la Bolsa or stock exchange square. The queen regent Maria Cristina open the current building on May 7, 1893. Where it has been since.

You can visit with guided tour groups or individuals. All working days in the mornings, the Bolsa opens its doors to the public so they can see the Palace or Palacio de la Bolsa. All the visit are guided by personnel of the stock exchange. The visit lasts about 60 minutes.

Individual visits every thursday at 12H; to do this you need to reserve in advance by writing to this email : exposicion@grupobme.es or from 9h30 to 13h30, you can call in at +34 91 589 10 20 or +34 91 589 11 62
Its a great educational trip in seeing the stock in a foreign country than yours.
located at Plaza de la Lealtad, 1, on your way to Prado museum.

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it was the old post office central office of Spain,and then it became the mayor's office of Madrid
an emblematic building of Madrid, identify with the city. It is now known as the Palacio de Cibeles for the fountain outside.Much written here if need more let me know, lived in the city and have family there.
its the triumphant site of the Real Madrid FC, and lol!! have I been there since 10 ::) right around the fountain of Cibeles

This triumphal arch was built by Franco in 1956 as a tribute to the Nationalist forces that had defeated the republican forces during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) It measures 39 meters (128 feet) and is topped with a four horse chariot.

Madrilenos call this the Puerta de Moncloa (the Moncloa Gate) instead of calling it the Victory Arch, a way of avoiding having to think about the Franco period. The Arch itself is not open to visitors

This is right by the Ciudad Universitaria. Nearest Metro is Arguelles(lines 3,4,6).

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the old major's office now autonomous region govt center, still can be seen, one of the most emblematic districts of Madrid, just off the Plaza Major. A must to walk its narrow streets for a feel of the city,
need more let me know

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I was very taken by the memorial I spotted in Plaza de Anton Martin, along Calle de Atocha. I thought the sculpture was very moving.

It took some digging to find information, but here's a translation of the memorial plaque:

On January 24, 1977, in a labor law firm that was located at number 55 on Atocha street, four lawyers and a trade unionist were killed and four more lawyers were injured. All were members of the PCE and CCOO. This monument reproduces the sculpture of John Genoves known as 'El Abrazo,' a symbol of the restoration of freedom. It was opened by the City Council of Madrid on June 10, 2003 as a tribute to those who died in that office work. It is a tribute to those who died for freedom in Spain. On January 24, 2007, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of this tragic event, this plaque is installed for the information of the people of Madrid and those who visit us.

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You can see a small section of the excavated church of Nuestra Signora de la Almudena (Our Lady of Almudena) in Calle de la Almudena, off Calle Mayor very near to its junction with Viaducto de Requena.

This church was demolished in 1868. Its apse (circular section) dated from the 12th century (1100s) and that is the part which you can see exposed underneath the protective transparent covering. Changes were made to the building in the 1600s and 1700s, but presumably archaeologists have considered the Medieval apse important enough not only to excavate but to preserve and expose to public view.

Worth having a look as you're passing by. The rather good information post is in Spanish, but is easy enough to work out if you have any French, Italian or Latin..and the model is a useful indicator of what once stood on this spot.

I loved the old chap leaning on the guardrail. What an excellent way of drawing attention to this site! :-)

This monument has a beautiful underground church with 260 metres long, and a cross with 150 metres high. Franco is buried in this church.
The cross has splendid figures in its basis. You can go there and appreciate the sigth over the Guadarrama mountain.

The Escorial is amazing. This monastery has an Architecture Museum, a Painting Museum, the Kings' Pantheon, a basilica, a library, etc, etc.
The monastery's construction started in 1562, by decision of King Felipe II, who died in the Escorial at 1598.

For me, getting lost while driving in Madrid is something as natural as breathing. However, my unorthodox driving stile sometimes (please, forgive the redundancy) drives me to interesting and unexpected places. That was exactly the case with the Pantheon of Illustrious men, a mausoleum dedicated to the memory of distinguished figures of the Spanish political life of the XIX century. Well, actually the country also honored this people by naming many of the Salamanca district streets with their names: Ríos Rosas, Cánovas, Canalejas, etc. Walking that hall was like reading a city map... something that, by the way, someone suggested me yesterday I should bring with me in my car. :-p