The king chose
Charles III held a competition, with designs by Spanish architects like Ventura Rodríguez, but chose the Italian Francesco Sabatini's project himself.
Urban Tales › Madrid › Puerta de Alcalá
Puerta de Alcalá: a gate with two different faces
Finished in 1778, the Puerta de Alcalá was one of the royal gates into Madrid, built by Charles III for travellers arriving from Alcalá de Henares, Aragon and France. The city later grew around it.
Finished1778
Commissioned byCharles III
ArchitectFrancesco Sabatini
Monumentsince 1976
Hear the Puerta de Alcalá 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
1
2
Two faces
The two sides of the gate are not the same: the decoration on the side facing the old road out of the city differs from the side facing the centre.
3
The date in Latin
The inscription reads REGE CAROLO III ANNO MDCCLXXVIII: in the reign of Charles III, in the year 1778.
TipWalk around it to compare the two faces, then cross into the Retiro Park, whose main gate is right next to it. With Urban Tales running, its story plays as you reach the square.
Nearby landmarks
Puerta de Alcalá: common questions
Who built the Puerta de Alcalá?
King Charles III commissioned it; the Italian architect Francesco Sabatini designed it, and it was finished in 1778.
Why is it called Puerta de Alcalá?
It was the gate on the road to Alcalá de Henares, the route from Aragon and France.
Is the Puerta de Alcalá older than the Arc de Triomphe?
Yes. It was finished in 1778, decades before the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (1836).