A market outside the walls
Before it was a square it was the Plaza del Arrabal, a busy market where the roads from Toledo and Atocha met, just outside the medieval town.
Urban Tales › Madrid › Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor: a market that became a stage
Finished in 1619 on the site of an old market outside the walls, the Plaza Mayor has hosted markets, bullfights, royal ceremonies and three great fires. The square you see is largely Juan de Villanueva's rebuild after 1790.
Finished1619
ArchitectJuan Gómez de Mora
Rebuilt afterthe 1790 fire
StatuePhilip III, 1616
Hear the Plaza Mayor story, in the app's voice
A short preview. The full story plays on its own when you walk up to it with Urban Tales.
Three stories most visitors miss
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Three fires
The square burned three times. After the worst fire, in 1790, Juan de Villanueva lowered the buildings from five storeys to three and opened the big arches at the corners.
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The painted house
The Casa de la Panadería, the bakery house, was the first building of the new square, begun in 1590. Its murals of mythological figures were painted in 1992 by Carlos Franco.
TipWalk in through the Arco de Cuchilleros for the dramatic steps, and look at the square early in the morning before the café tables fill it. With Urban Tales running, its story plays as you step in.
Nearby landmarks
Plaza Mayor: common questions
How old is the Plaza Mayor in Madrid?
It was completed in 1619, but much of what you see is the rebuilding after the fire of 1790.
Whose statue is in the Plaza Mayor?
King Philip III on horseback, made in 1616 by Giambologna and Pietro Tacca. It was placed in the square in 1848.
What happened in the Plaza Mayor?
Markets, bullfights, royal proclamations, festivals and public ceremonies, for four centuries.