Puerta de Toledo, Madrid
The Puerta de Toledo is a stone triumphal arch on the roundabout of the same name, the Glorieta de la Puerta de Toledo, between the districts of La Latina and Embajadores in Madrid. This post explains its history, what to look at on each side, and how to combine it with the Rastro flea market a few streets away.
History
The arch was put up to commemorate the arrival in Madrid of King Ferdinand VII, known as “El Deseado” (the Desired). It replaced earlier gates that had stood in the area from the 16th century onwards.
Its direct forerunner was never built. Joseph Bonaparte, the king imposed on Spain by his brother Napoleon, commissioned an arch from the Spanish architect Silvestre Pérez between 1811 and 1812, and the project stayed on paper. In 1813 Madrid City Council gave the commission to the neoclassical architect Antonio López Aguado, and Ferdinand VII approved it. The gate was completed in 1827.
Two buildings by López Aguado originally stood at its sides and joined the gate to the city wall. They were demolished at the start of the 20th century, and the arch now stands alone on the roundabout. In 1996 it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural, the Spanish heritage listing, in the category of monument.
What to look at
The gate is built of granite and Colmenar stone in a Neo-Roman style. It has three openings: a rounded arch in the middle and a square one on each side. Half columns with Ionic capitals flank the central arch, and Ionic pilasters flank the two side openings.
The two faces are different, so it is worth walking round the roundabout:
- The side facing the Manzanares river: above the central arch is a group of sculptures by Valeriano Salvatierra and Ramón Barba. It represents the power of the Spanish monarchy in both hemispheres. Military trophies sit above the two side openings.
- The side facing the city: two angels hold up the emblem of the City of Madrid.
The arch is an outdoor monument on a public roundabout. It has no ticket and no opening hours, and ten to fifteen minutes are enough to see both faces.
Getting there
The address is Glorieta Puerta de Toledo, 1. The metro station is Puerta de Toledo, on line 5. The nearest Cercanías local train stations are Embajadores and Pirámides. The BiciMAD bike-share scheme has a docking station on the roundabout itself.
Nearby: the Rastro
The Rastro, Madrid’s flea market, is held on Sundays and public holidays a few streets from the gate. Its hub is Plaza de Cascorro, and it fills a roughly triangular block bounded by Calle de Toledo, Calle de Embajadores and Ronda de Toledo. Documents mention the market as early as 1740. According to Madrid’s tourist board, it now has over 1000 merchants, who start selling at about 9am and pack up at roughly 3pm. Puerta de Toledo is one of the three metro stations the tourist board lists for the market, with La Latina and Embajadores, so the arch makes a natural start or end to a Sunday morning there.
The shops of the Rastro area, along Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores, are open every day of the week. They sell antiques, furniture, second-hand goods and mountain sports gear, and there are bars for a beer or a vermouth with a tapa.
Other monuments within walking distance have their own posts: the Basílica de San Francisco el Grande and the Puente de Segovia. More sights are in the overview of monuments in Madrid, and the Madrid city page lists places to study in the city.
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