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The Plaza de Espana (or Spanish Square) is no different from
Piccadilly Circus in London or the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, it's at the
centre of the city and it's buzzing with life.
Situated at the end of the busiest road in Madrid, the Gran Via, it's
comparable to being next to an eight lane gighway!
An army barracks was originally on the site but that was demolished
in the early 1900s.the plaza itself was designed by Teodoro Anasagasti
and Mateo Inurria. |
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The Gran Via, which borders the Plaza de Espana, was
originally only intended as a straight road from C. Princessa to Ciebles
when it was created in 1910. But it became a financial district of
Madrid and successively grander buildings were erected between 1920 and
the 1950s.
On the left is a picture of a policeman directing the eight lanes of
traffic assisted only by his trusty whistle. On the right is a view of
the Plaza lit up at night, a spectacular sight. |
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Two of Madrid's most famous (if rather dated) buildings
were constructed around the Plaza de Espana in the 1950's to satisfy
Franco's desire to make Madrid a capital city of all capitals. The
Edificio Espana (right) and the Torre Madrid were both designed by the
architects Jose and Julian Otamendi. The Edificio Espana was finished in
1953 and the Torre Madrid followed in 1957. In its day, the Torre
Madrid, at 142 meters / 466 foot high, was the largest concrete building
in the world. But the plaza is not all architecture, noise and
activity. The grassed square is used by locals for relaxation. The olive
trees in the centre will easily outlive the buildings. |
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One of the main attractions of Plaza de Espana are the
three statues in the centre. Indeed, tourists are so keen to have their
photos taken around these statues that it's amusing just to sit and
watch them! The main statue (left) is of Cervantes who wrote the Don
Quixote de la Mancha book. Below him are bronze statues of the two main
characters in his book, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza (right). The
statues were erected in 1928 and the creators were Teodoro Ansagasti and
Mateo Inurria. |
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