Puerta del Sol (Gateway of the Sun) is in many ways the very heart of Madrid. A half-moon shaped confluence of ten streets, Puerta del Sol is highlighted by Kilometer Zero, a small plaque in the sidewalk demarcating the point from which all of Spain’s highway distances are officially measured. Several of Madrid’s most important streets originate at this junction, which used to mark the gated east entrance of the old city.
Take Calle de Mayor west to Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Ville and Madrid’s City Hall. Follow Calle del Arenal to the Teatro Real (Opera House) and the Palacio Real. Calle de Alcalá to the east leads you the Plaza de Cibeles, the Parque del Retiro, and well, you get the picture.
Landmarks other than Kilometer Zero also stake their claim in Puerta del Sol. Madrid’s iconic bronze statue El Oso y El Madroño (The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) is at the north end of the square at Calle de Carmen.
An equestrian statue of Carlos III looks out over the large red brick building at the south end, which was once the main post office. The Casa de Correos, constructed between 1766 and 1768, was a feared place during Franco’s dictatorship when it served as the Main Directorate of Security. Today it’s the headquarters of the Community of Madrid Autonomous government, which is the equivalent to a state capital building in the U.S.
But enough about the lay of the land. The Puerta del Sol has also been the site of one of the most important events in Spain’s history. On May 2, 1808, an uprising against occupying French forces under Napolean’s command began here. But the crowd of villagers proved to be little more than a bug on the windshield of the well-equipped French troops, who overwhelmed them. The following day, remaining resisters were summarily executed. These events signaled the start of the armed Spanish resistance which dragged on in guerrilla warfare until 1814, and are depicted in Goya’s two masterpieces, May 2 1808 and May 3 1808: The Executions at Principe Pio, both of which can be seen at the Museo del Prado.
The famous Tio Pepe sign dominates a rooftop at the east end of the square.
Today the Puerta del Sol is the bustling center of urban life in Madrid, lined with shops, restaurants, and cervecerías. There’s plenty of sensory overload here, with the clamor of traffic, police whistles, monotone cries of vendors hawking lottery tickets, and the overheard conversations of other passers by, with each sound having its moment in the spotlight as you work your way through crowds of pedestrians that never seems to dissipate, no matter what the hour.