Puerta del Sol is a sweeping, semi-circular plaza defined by the red brick facade of the Real Casa de Correos. This building, constructed between seventeen sixty-six and seventeen sixty-eight by French architect Jaime Marquet, carries a…
Habsburg Madrid Walk
This walk traces the physical legacy of the Habsburg dynasty in Madrid, visiting the palaces, plazas, and monasteries that defined the city's 16th and 17th-century golden age.
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1. Puerta del Sol
2. Santa Cruz Palace, Madrid
The Santa Cruz Palace is identifiable by its symmetrical red brick facade and two corner towers topped with dark slate spires. Commissioned by King Philip the Fourth and built between sixteen twenty-nine and sixteen forty-three, this…
3. Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor is a massive, rectangular space in the center of Madrid enclosed by three-story residential buildings with over two hundred balconies overlooking the stone ground. At its center stands a bronze equestrian statue of King…
4. Colegiata de San Isidro
The Colegiata de San Isidro is defined by its monumental granite facade, which features twin belfries and stands directly on the Calle de Toledo. Originally built in the seventeenth century as the church for the Jesuit Imperial College,…
5. Capilla de Nuestra Señora y de San Juan de Letrán
The Capilla de Nuestra Señora y de San Juan de Letrán, commonly known as the Capilla del Obispo, occupies a site on the Plaza de la Paja. The exterior presents a plain, unassuming face that masks a transition between late gothic and…
6. Palace of the Councils
The Palace of the Councils sits at the corner of Calle Mayor and Calle Bailén, a stark block of stone and brick that defines this intersection. Built between sixteen thirteen and sixteen twenty-five, it was originally commissioned by…
7. Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid presents a colossal, symmetrical façade of grey granite and white limestone, stretching over one hundred thirty-five thousand square meters. It is the largest royal palace in Europe, containing over three…
8. Real Monasterio de la Encarnación
The Real Monasterio de la Encarnación is defined by its sober, classical facade, which features three distinct arches and two prominent marble shields. Founded in sixteen eleven by Queen Margaret of Austria, wife of King Philip the Third,…
9. Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales occupies a palace from the sixteenth century, identifiable by its notably sober, unassuming stone façade in the center of Madrid. Founded in fifteen fifty-nine by Joanna of Austria, sister of King…
10. Casa de las Siete Chimeneas
The Casa de las Siete Chimeneas is defined by the seven distinctive chimneys lining its roof, which have fueled centuries of speculation that they represent the seven deadly sins. This sixteenth-century manor sits at the corner of the…