Puerta de Alcala, Madrid

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I lived nearby for four years,and now everytime in the city every year stop by. A wonderful monument to triomphant Charles III emperor holy roman empire Charles V.
much written on it here by better writers, i can add description and history to it from a local history buff guy if you need it.

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The Puetra de Alcalá is one of the prettiest places in Madrid. Situated in the middle of a beautiful square in the middle of intersecting roads, Plaza de la Independencia, this monumental gate stands very close to the entrance to Retiro Park and can be seen from the lower Plaza de Cibeles.

The massive granite gate was designed in a neo-Classical style with five arches by Francesco Sabatini through the patronage of King Charles III in 1778 and replaced a smaller gate. It was created in the city wall (no longer there) as a place through which the city traffic could come through as the road into Madrid expanded. Until the mid-1800s, the gate was the eastern boundary of Madrid, but as visitors can see today, Madrid grew to the point of the gate now being well within the busy city itself.

On our first night in Madrid, we saw the Puerta de Alcalá while we were crossing the street down by the Plaza de Cibeles but decided to not walk up the hill to see it at that time (it was getting dark and it was raining). This proved to be a good choice since later in our stay our hotel shuttle bus dropped us off right at the gate itself on a beautiful sunny morning, giving us a spectacular view of the gate and the opportunity for some good photos, which we would not have had on that first night. In the mornings, the sun is in the best location to get photos, allowing the photographer to stand either at the entrance to Retiro Park, or to cross the road to the plaza on which the gate stands.

Built in 1778 by king Carlos III as one of the entrances in town, this monumental door was designed by Sabatini.
In 2001 Madrid was the World Book Capital, and that was the pretext to embellish the square, adding the gardens and lights that still may be seen.

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Is seen through the Puerta de Alacalá and down the hill towards the Metropolis building, Plaza de la Cibeles and the Gran Via. To catch this view is to realize that you're really in Madrid and that it really is a world class city.

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By the time of King Charles III, he did numerous works in the city of Madrid, however, one of the best known is the Puerta (Gate) de Alcalá a symbol in stone than Francesco Sabatini commissioned to design and build.
All the visitors reaching Madrid passed through this structure formed by three archers and two rectangular gateways.
Nowadays, it has no other function than to mark the end of Calle Alcalá.
In the Neoclassical style stands out for the beauty of its proportions :)
There are always flowers decorations around it different from each season and by sunset time is a good place to photo because the beauty of skies over Madrid!

Puerta de Alcala is located at Plaza de la Independencia in Madrid in the entrance in Retiro Park. It is neoclassical granite gate with three large archways and two smaller rectangular passageways. Each of the archways is decorated with a lions head, sculpted by Roberto Michel. Construction of the gate took 9 years it was finally completed in 1778.

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Madrid's national monument and one of the city's symbol. It is design by an Italian artist, Sabatini, ordered by King Carlos III in 1764. It is a neoclassical granite gate with five passage, three large archways and the other two rectangular are smaller. Each of the passageways is decorated with a lions head sculptured by Roberto Michel. The top of the gate is decorated with statues by Francisco Guttierez. The construction was completed after nine years.

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This is a monument in the Plaza de la Independencia, very close to Cibeles. It was built by order of king Carlos III as a monumental gate in the city wall to pass the road which leads to the city of Alcalá. It was inaugurated in 1778.

Take a moment to see it during the day and at night, I personally liked it better at night.
Puerta de Alcala was named from the old path from Madrid to the town of Alcalá de Henares.
Another symbol of Madrid.

This beautiful gate situated at plaza de Independencia is even more beautiful at night but its location next to one of the Retiro’s entrances will bring you here during the day too. It was the monumental gate on the road to the historical city Alcala de Henares. There was another smaller gate there that was built in 1599 but king Carlos III ordered a big one that was built on 1769 by the Italian architect Sabatini.

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It is called the "Puerta de Alcala" because it used to sit on the road that led to Alcala de Henares, a small historic town located about 30 km east of Madrid. It was built in the 1770s, after King Carlos III took a dislike to the old gate that dated back to 1599. It was designed by Francesco Sabatini in a neo-classical style, and it became the major point of entry to the city of Madrid. The area around the Puerta de Alcala has been remodelled over the years, and it now sits at the middle of the "Plaza de la Independicia", near the main entry to the Parque del Buen Retiro. It's worth seeing it during the day and going back at night when it's all lit up - it's one of Madrid's most photogenic monuments!