Puerta del Sol, which is located just a short walk from the famous Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, is the capital city\u2019s most popular and centralized square.\u00a0 During earlier times, the square was the site of one of the city\u2019s gates\u2014a gate that faced eastward and was adorned with an image of the sun, hence the name Puerta del Sol.\u00a0 As the city\u2019s most central location, Puerta del Sol has become a very popular spot for tourists to stay when visiting Madrid, and there are now many hotels, hostels and tourist apartments situated very near the square.<\/p>\n
Puerta del Sol\u2019s current shape, which is almost perfectly semi-circular, is the result of major renovations to the area which took place in the years between 1854 and 1860.\u00a0 On the \u201cflat\u201d or south side of the square visitors will notice a large clock tower, which is actually part of the Real Casa de Correos, one of the most famous and historical buildings in the area.\u00a0 Originally built in the 18th<\/sup> century as part of the Post Office, the building now functions as the headquarters of the President of Madrid\u2019s Autonomous Community.<\/p>\n If you happen to be visiting Madrid towards the end of the calendar year, you will no doubt want to make your way down to Puerta del Sol to enjoy the massive outdoor New Year\u2019s Eve celebration held there.\u00a0 On this night, thousands of Madril\u00e8nos brave the cold as they wait for the clock tower on the Real Casa de Correos to strike twelve-midnight, at which time they follow the Madrid tradition of eating one grape for each of the clock\u2019s twelve chimes.<\/p>\n Puerto del Sol is the starting point, or radial center for Spain\u2019s six national roads.\u00a0 This distinction is marked outside the Casa de Correos on a stone slab in the pavement, with the markings \u201cKilometer Zero.\u201d\u00a0 The slab was originally placed in the square in 1950, but after years of deterioration it was finally replaced with an updated version in 2009.<\/p>\n Puerta del Sol is home to many famous statues, the most important of which is El Oso y El Madrono, or the \u201cBear and the Strawberry Tree.\u201d\u00a0 This statue is located at the east end of the square below the famous Tio Pepe advert.\u00a0 For many years now the Bear and the Strawberry Tree has been the unofficial symbol of Madrid.\u00a0 The origins for this are bit unclear, but most historians believe that many bears once roamed in the fields outside of Madrid, and the \u201cstrawberry tree\u201d was most likely a reference to the huckleberry tree, which once existed in abundance throughout the city.<\/p>\n Other statues in Puerta del Sol include a reproduction of the Mariblanca Statue (the original is in the National Museum), which is said to represent Venus or Diana the Hunter; and a statue of King Carlos III.\u00a0 The latter of these two was placed in the square by popular demand to commemorate the King, who earned the title the \u201cMayor of Madrid\u201d for the many improvements he made to the city during his reign.<\/p>\n Puerta del Sol is a very vibrant part of the city and offers visitors many interesting things to do and see, including several shops, bars and restaurants.\u00a0 It is also the starting point from which to explore some of Spain\u2019s most heavily-traveled streets, including Arenal Street, on which tourists will find many small boutiques and specialty stores; Calle Mayor, the street leading to the historically-renowned Plaza Mayor; and Calle Preciados, a pedestrian street featuring a number of large department stores and international shops.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Puerta del Sol, which is located just a short walk from the famous Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, is the capital city\u2019s most popular and centralized square.\u00a0 During earlier times, the square was the site of one of the city\u2019s gates\u2014a gate that faced eastward and was adorned with an image of the sun, hence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-madrid"],"yoast_head":"\n