STATUE OF THE BEAR AND THE ARBUTUS TREE
Like everyone else, they are in a hurry to take a souvenir photo of their time in Madrid. It's one of the symbols of the city.
El Oso y el Madroño, the emblematic statue of the city of Madrid, has been returned to its original location following the extensive work carried out on the square. In fact, it stood at the beginning of Calle del Carmen from 1986 for... 23 years! In 2009, it was returned to its original position at the beginning of Calle Alcala. Its two protagonists, the bear and the arbutus tree, are a reminder that the capital was once surrounded by vast expanses of arbutus trees, inhabited by bears and other game. Legend has it that it was to pay tribute to King Alfonso XI, who killed a bear on the outskirts of Madrid, that the animal was incorporated into the city's coat of arms. The strawberry tree is said to have appeared between the 13th and 14th centuries, after the Church ceded pastures and wooded areas on the outskirts of Madrid to the city. A way of celebrating and sealing this historic agreement. It then became one of the city's symbols. While it is obviously present on the capital's flag and coat of arms, it can also be found on the crest of the Atlético de Madrid soccer club, for example. This work by Spanish architect Antonio Navarro Santafé was inaugurated in 1967. Measuring 4 metres high (including its cubic granite pedestal), it is made of stone and bronze and weighs around 20 tonnes. And when you set foot on the Puerta del Sol for the first time, one thing quickly becomes clear: it's the city's most photographed star.
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