7 .
P U E R T A
A L C A L Á
D E
PLAZA DE LA INDEPENDENCIA,
S/N,
Erected in 1778 by Italian architect Francesco Sabatini , this triumphal gate was once
the main entrance to the city . It was commissioned by King Charles III - over time
nicknamed the Best Mayor of Madrid -, who was unimpressed by the gate that
welcomed him when he first arrived in 1759 . It is situated next to El Retiro Park in
the centre of Plaza de la Independencia , a junction for three of the city ’ s most well -
known streets : Calle de Alcalá , the city ’ s longest road , Calle de Alfonso XII , which
leads to Atocha train station , and Calle de Serrano , Madrid ’ s most glamorous
thoroughfare .
Designed by Sabatini , Puerta de Alcalá is a neoclassical triumphal arch made of
granite . It was the first of its kind to be built after the fall of the Roman Empire ,
making it even older than Berlin ’ s Brandenburg Gate or the Arc de Triomphe in Paris .
Unlike the smaller Puerta de Toledo and Puerta de San Vicente gates , which are also
located in the centre of the city , Puerta de Alcalá has a total of five arches , not
three .
Each side of the gate has a different design . The one looking towards the city centre
is crowned by sculptures of war trophies such as flags , weapons , breastplates and
helmets , and its three rounded arches are decorated with the head of a lion . The
other side , which is the one travellers would first behold when they arrived in the
city , is more ornately decorated and is crowned by the royal coat of arms held up by
Fame helped by a child . Along the top of the gate , you ’ ll find the figures of four
children that are an allegory of the cardinal virtues : fortitude , justice , temperance
and prudence .
The gate was given the name Puerta de Alcalá because it was on the road that led
to Alcalá de Henares , Cervantes ’ hometown .