Talk of the Plaza Mayor It could even be considered daring, or that there is nothing left to say. And no wonder, so much has been written and said about this square that it will be difficult to surprise you.

It is a porticoed square with a rectangular floor plan, 129 meters long by 94 meters wide, which is completely enclosed by three-story residential buildings. There are 377 balconies (which for a long time were highly sought after spaces to attend the different public events that were offered in the square), has ten access doors, of which the best known is the one at the Knife Bow, in the southwest corner of the square. 114 arches including access arches, 76 attics and 4 towers. Those are the numbers of the monumental Plaza Mayor.

In the center of the north side of the plaza stands the Bakery House, in front of him, on the south side, the House of the Butcher. In the arcades, supported by granite pillars, numerous hospitality businesses are housed, as well as collecting, philately and numismatic shops. Today, a stamp and coin market continues to be held every Sunday. These arcades are the origin of the square as we know it. These arcades were where merchants displayed their wares; the stores we know today were warehouses and homes for those merchants. The sale took place on the street and the porch served to protect from the sun or inclement weather. This need led to the creation of squares like ours, this is how our main street was originally, arcades full of shops, like in so many Castilian cities.

The origins of the Plaza Mayor date back to the 15th century, when at the confluence of the roads (now streets) of Toledo and Atocha, on the outskirts of the medieval town, celebrations were held in this place, known as “Plaza del Arrabal”. , the main market of the town, a first porticoed house, or market, was built at this time to regulate trade in the square. The Plaza Mayor has had other names such as: Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza Real and Plaza de la República.

In 1580, after having moved the court to Madrid in 1561, Felipe II commissioned the plaza remodeling project to Juan de Herrera, beginning the demolition of the “apple houses” in the old square that same year. The construction of the first building in the new square, the Casa de la Panadería, would begin in 1590 by Diego Sillero, on the site of the old market. In front of it and in the southern part of the square, the Casa de la Carnicería, for the sale of meat. In 1617, Philip III, commissioned the completion of the works to Juan Gómez de Mora, who will complete the square in 1619.

The Plaza Mayor has suffered three major fires in its history, the first of them in 1631, 1670 and 1790.

In addition to the Plaza itself, we find three elements of special interest that will appear in 365 days in Madrid:

Statue of Felipe III: Created in 1616 by John of Bologna y Pietro tacca, was a gift from the Duke of Florence to the Spanish king.

Bakery House: It is the most important building, initially it was the most important bakery in Madrid. The façade is decorated by Carlos Franco. In the Hall of Columns we find a large tourist office that serves the thousands of tourists who pass through the square.

El Knife Bow: This arch is the best known of the access doors to the Plaza Mayor. The name comes from the street with which it communicates, the Cuchilleros street.

The Plaza Mayor became, from its beginnings, only the main market of the town, both food (supplied by the numerous tablajeros -meat sellers- monitored by the Repeso - the institution of the Old Regime in Spain, both in the Crown of Castile and in the Crown of Aragon, in charge of monitoring the food market in the cities.-) as well as other genres (the main guilds settling in their arcades); but also on the scene of numerous public events, such as bullfights, autos-da-fe, public executions, the scaffold being placed in front of the drapers' portal if the punishment was a garrote; in front of the House of the Bakery, if it was a gallows, and in front of the House of the Butchery, if it was a knife or axe. The beatification of San Isidro, patron saint of Madrid.

Every December, the traditional Christmas market is held, a custom that has been in force since 1860.

It has been the setting for many films, as we mentioned in our Madrid Film Tours by bike, As in Lovers of the Polar Circle de Julio Medem.

A hug and we haven't talked about squid sandwiches!!