English
The Plaza Mayor of Madrid is a symbol of the city. There isn´t a tourist who doesn´t visit it and who doesn´t remember it with affection.
It´s a beautiful square, very atypical, because it´s surrounded by big buildings. Ordered to be finished in the 17th century by king Felipe III, the square was the headquarters for loads of political, cultural and commercial events since it´s inauguration. There they take place the famous bull and caña (small beer) festivals.
The most important buildings that the square houses are the Casa de la Panadería and the Casa Carnicería, two of which are still standing and working actively. There were also royal residencies in the first floors of the buildings. But in 1790 the square caught fire and it lost nearly half of all the constructions.
But a few years later they began reconstructing it with reforms to the whole square. For example, they banned traffic, they closed the corners and they remodelled the façades for improvement.
Today all tourists can enjoy a typical Madrid square, where the hundreds of balconies improve the landscape. If you want to visit Plaza Mayor and walk in between its façades, get Madrid accommodation.
