Planning a trip to Madrid soon and looking for some interesting things to do and see?\u00a0 If so, the
\nPuerta de Alcal\u00e1 is definitely something to put on your list.\u00a0 Below we will provide some reasoning as to why the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 is such an interesting place to visit, including some information about its location, history and impressive characteristics.<\/p>\n
Puerta de Alcal\u00e1<\/strong><\/p>\n Situated in Madrid\u2019s Plaza de la Independencia, the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1, or Gate of Alcala is one of the city\u2019s most popular and lasting attractions.\u00a0 The original Puerta de Alcal\u00e1, which was built in 1599 as a welcome gesture to do\u00f1a Margarita de Austria, stood very nearby the location in which the new gate stands today\u2014a new gate that is credited to King Carlos III.\u00a0 When Carlos III ascended to the throne a century and a half after the original gate was built, entering Madrid through the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 on December 9, 1759, he found himself displeased with this gate and its features, finding it unworthy for an important royal appearance.\u00a0 Not too long following this \u201cunimpressive\u201d entrance into Madrid, the King demanded that a new\u2014and much more flamboyant\u2014gate be built, calling upon the finest architects of the day to propose a plan.\u00a0 Out of all the designs that were proposed, including those by renowned Spanish architects Ventura Rodriguez and Jos\u00e9 de Hermosillo, King Carlos III chose the design of an Italian architect, Francisco Sabatini.<\/p>\n Construction of the new and improved Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 commenced in 1764 and was finally completed some five years later.\u00a0 Then, in 1778, an official inauguration was held to commemorate the new landmark and honor those who had built it. The Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 is adorned with six ornamental statues atop the structure, beautifully sculpted by the artists Francisco Gutierrez and Roberto Michel.\u00a0 At the gate\u2019s apex, in the raised center, a plaque is affixed with the words \u201cREGE CARLOS III ANNO MDCCLXXVIII,\u201d commemorating King Carlos III and the year the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 was inaugurated, 1778. More recently, in 1985, the monument was immortalized in song by Spanish singers Ana Belen and Victor Manuel.\u00a0 The song, \u201cLa Puerta de Alcal\u00e1,\u201d gained wide acclaim and became a huge success in Spain and throughout South America and Central America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Planning a trip to Madrid soon and looking for some interesting things to do and see?\u00a0 If so, the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 is definitely something to put on your list.\u00a0 Below we will provide some reasoning as to why the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 is such an interesting place to visit, including some information about its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-madrid"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nToday the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 stands proudly in the East of Madrid, in the center of Calle Alcal\u00e1, one of the oldest streets in the city that runs from the Puerta del Sol, in the heart of Madrid, to the town of Alcala de Henares, in the city\u2019s northeast.\u00a0 The gate continues to be revered by locals and tourists alike as a grand and majestic structure featuring a large, central semicircular arch, flanked on each side by two similar arches.\u00a0 These are in turn flanked by a square gate on each side, making five passageways in all.<\/p>\n
\nThe archways of the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1 have seen much throughout the centuries.\u00a0 The gate was once considered a ca\u00f1ada real<\/em>\u2014a special route for moving livestock on a seasonal basis\u2014with literally thousands of sheep and other animals having passed through its gates over the years.\u00a0 In 1854, the renowned Count of Villahermosa also entered Madrid through the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1, fatigued, war-torn and brandishing an enemy spear.\u00a0 As a result, he earned the nickname Longinos <\/em>from the locals.<\/p>\n