Puerta de Alcala, Community of Madrid, Spain

4Vadim 5:00 PM Nov 14, 2020

One of the five gates of medieval Madrid.
The neoclassical Alcala gate is located near the main gate to Retiro Park on Independence square. This gate welcomed travelers from Aragon, Catalonia, and France. However, this is no longer the medieval gate of Madrid. Judging by the inscription in Roman numerals on the pediment, the gate was built in 1778 under king Charles III of Bourbon, who managed to stay on two more thrones during his long life (Charles I and Charles VII). The new wide gates replaced the old narrow ones that prevented increased traffic to the Kingdom's capital. If the old ones served a defensive function, being part of the fortress wall, then the new ones were a tax collection point for transporting goods to the city. The wall was no longer there, but Madrid was surrounded by a fence until 1869.Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato was shot dead here by anarchists in 1920. During the defense of Madrid in the civil war of 1936-1939, huge portraits of Stalin and people's Commissars of defense and foreign Affairs of the USSR Voroshilov and Litvinov hung on the gates. The huge coat of arms of the Soviet Union covered the inscription with the name of Charles III. The previous Pope Benedict XVI, welcomed the Catholics of Madrid here in 2011. The two sides of the gate are not equal. The front part faces outward to the East.

4Aarushi G 5:00 PM Jul 5, 2022

Stunning Gate into Madrid
While walking through Retiro Park, the Puerta de Alcala is worth seeing. It is majestic and a beautiful structure, and only the Royal Family can physically go through it. It is a great photo spot and worth seeing as this gate is rich in history and is one of the main gates to the city of Madrid.