CALLE DE ALCALA

HISTORY
Founded at the beginning of the fifteenth century and originally called the Olivares, then having two that traveled, is one of the most famous streets in Madrid. With a current distance of more than 10 km, it is the longest and one of the oldest in the capital. This street is born in the Puerta del Sol and extends northeast to the avenue of Hispanidad.

Of her said Marshal Junot who for beauty competed with the best of Europe, and owes its name to this causeway leading east, that is, to Alcala de Henares.

Next to the Buen Retiro Park and crossed by this route is one of the most famous monuments of the city and of Spain, the Puerta de Alcalá, ordered by King Charles III to receive travelers coming from Aragon, Catalonia or France. This project was commissioned by the architect Francisco Sabatini.

The Puerta de Alcalá was inaugurated in 1778, and it is at the beginning of the 20th century when, due to the widening of the street, it extends beyond this monument. In this street is also another of the most emblematic monuments of the city, the source of the Cibeles, in the square that bears the same name.