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Plaza Mayor is a historic plaza in the heart of Madrid. The colonnades on the ground floor of each building are filled with restaurants, cafés, and shops.
There are also nine entrances to the plaza and 237 balconies facing it.
History
Plaza Mayor was designed by Juan de Herrera and originally named Plaza del Arrabal. It was built between 1580 and 1619 during the reign of Felipe III. During the Spanish Inquisition, the plaza was used to condemn and execute supposed heretics. Bullfights and football games were also held there.
Statue of Felipe III
In the center of the plaza is a statue of Felipe III. It was originally made in 1616 but wasn’t placed in the plaza until 1848. The statue was designed by Giambologna and completed by his assistant, Pietro Tacca.
Bakery House
The most impressive building on Plaza Mayor is the Bakery House (Casa de la Panadería). The original building was completed in 1619 by Juan Gómez de Mora but it burned down and was renovated.
In 1672, after the second fire, the building was completely rebuilt in 17 months and frescoes were painted on the façade. The current frescoes were painted in 1992. The Spanish coat of arms of Carlos II is located on the center of the building.
The Bakery House was originally used as the city’s main bakery. After 1732, it had several different functions including the headquarters of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando) from 1745 to 1774 and the Royal Academy of History (Real Academia de la Historia) from 1774 to 1871. After that, it became a municipal building and currently holds the offices of the Madrid Tourist Board. On the ground floor is the Madrid Tourism Center.
Christmas Market
During my visit in December 2016, I was able to see the Christmas market. There were several booths set up selling Christmas ornaments, decorations, souvenirs, and gifts.
Nearby
About a block to the southeast of Plaza Mayor are Plaza de la Provincia and Plaza de Santa Cruz.
Here you can find the Santa Cruz Palace (Palacio de Santa Cruz), which was built between 1629 and 1636 under Felipe IV as a prison and courthouse. It was converted into a palace in 1767 and a fire destroyed everything but the façade in 1791. It currently houses the offices of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de España).
