Streets squares and districts to visit Madrid

The idea of the "great route", almost 2 km long, arises from the need to link Cibeles Square to that of Spain. We had to demolish a whole neighbourhood for the drill. The work in three times printed their seal to architecture: between 1917 and 1910, between Alcalá Street and Telefónica's building, buildings imitate Paris buildings from the late th century; from 1922 to 1925 until Callao was the outbreak of the first skyscraper in Madrid: from 1925 onwards, the extension to Spanish square.

Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, is the first to project the construction of this place. In 1841, it was completed, similar to today's. The statues of the Spanish kings found there were intended to decorate the façade of the Royal Palace, but their weight proved excessive and dangerous. The equestrian statue of Philippe IV, in the centre of the square, was made according to a drawing by Velázquez. The horse stands on the back legs, which has posed a real technical problem because of the 9 tons of bronze that make it up.

Calle Mayor is one of the most emblematic streets in Madrid. A very touristy axis, it connects the Puerta del Sol to the Royal Palace and conceals some treasures. On condition that you look up and pay attention.

When you have the San Miguel market at your back, look at the balconies of the buildings opposite, on the other side of the Calle Mayor, Calle de los Milaneses, you will see a Fallen Angel. The statue is reminiscent of theFallen Angel (Lucifer) in the Retiro Park, but according to its sculptor, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, it is "a being that has been flying over the peninsula since time immemorial. On its flight, it collided with the modern Madrid of skyscrapers and crashed into a building."

The narrowest house in Madrid is locatedat number 61 on Calle Mayor, which was also the former residence of the writer Pedro Calderón de la Barca, author of Life is a Dream, among other works. This house, next to the former pharmacy of the Queen Mother, is known as Casa Estrecha, literally "the narrow house", since it is only 5 metres wide.

At number 88 of the same street, you can see a palm branch on the top floor balcony. This branch reminds us that from this balcony the anarchist Mateo Morral threw a bomb hidden in a bouquet of flowers in an attempt to assassinate King Alfonso XIII on his wedding day, 31 May 1906.

In front of this building, on the pavement, a statue pays tribute to the victims of the attack, from which the royal couple escaped unscathed.

Just next to the famous Prado Museum, the obelisk of May 2, 1808, inaugurated in 1840, contains in an urn the ashes of some heroes of the uprising against Napoleon's troops. Former Spanish King Juan Carlos also made it the monument to the unknown soldier with his traditional flame.Its small garden is charming. Not to be missed between two museum visits for a well-deserved break.

The trading exchange, behind the obelisk, dates from 1893; its construction is inspired by the one seen in Vienna.

The first viaduct dates from the end of the 19th century, in 1874. The new one, made of three 35-metre vaults and polished reinforced concrete, was designed in 1932. It was finally built in 1949 above Calle Segovia, between the Royal Palace and the Basilica of San Francisco El Grande. Pedro Almodóvar often used it as a decoration (stiletto heels, Matador). The view of Madrid, especially the west of the city, the Casa de Campo, the Royal Palace and Cathedral of La Almudena, is incredible. Enough to warm up your camera!