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Plaza de Oriente is located in the historic center of Madrid, directly to the east of the Royal Palace.
History
Plaza de Oriente was originally part of the plan for the palace but construction didn’t begin until 1808 under Joseph Bonaparte (José I). Bonaparte ordered the destruction of 60 medieval structures on the site. He was deposed before the plaza was finished, and Isabella II hired architect Narciso Pascual y Colomer to complete it in 1844.
Central Gardens
There are three main sections of the plaza. In the center are the Central Gardens (Jardines Centrales). The gardens contain seven flowerbeds bordered by box hedges.
In the center of the Central Gardens is a monument to Felipe IV made by Pietro Tacca. Tacca started work on the monument in 1634 and it was shipped to Madrid in 1640. It was his last public commission before his death.
A row of statues on the north and south sides of the Central Gardens depict the Gothic kings of Spain. They include five Visigoth rulers and 15 early Christian kings of the Reconquista. The limestone statues were originally supposed to be part of the Royal Palace but architects felt they were too heavy. They were carved between 1750 and 1753.
Lepanto Gardens
On the south side of Plaza de Oriente are the Lepanto Gardens (Jardines de Lepanto). These gardens contain several tall trees as well as a monument to Ángel Melgar, a Spanish military hero. The monument was erected in 1911.
Cabo Noval Gardens
On the north side are the Cabo Noval Gardens (Jardines del Cabo Noval) which contain a monument to Luis Noval Ferrao in the center. Known as Cabo Noval, he was a Spanish soldier who died at the age of 22 under heroic circumstances during an ambush in Morocco in 1909. The statue was erected in 1911 under Alfonso XIII.
Royal Theatre
To the east of Plaza de Oriente is the Royal Theatre (Teatro Real). This opera house took 32 years to build and finally opened in 1850. It closed in 1925 after being damaged during the construction of the metro system and reopened in 1966 as a concert hall. Between 1991 and 1997, it was remodeled to once again host operas, and is one of the most important opera houses in all of Europe.
The main entrance is on the other side of the building at Plaza de Isabel II, which is more commonly known as Plaza de Ópera. Guided tours are available in English daily except Tuesdays at 10:15am for €10 (as of October 2023). An audio guided tour costs €8 (as of October 2023) and is available daily between 10:30am and 1:30pm. Both tour versions take about an hour.
Other Buildings
On either side of the Royal Theatre on Plaza de Oriente are beautiful buildings, some with restaurants and cafés on the ground floor.
