Christmas lights Tour

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We are arriving at Plaza de Cibeles, in the center of which lies the emblematic Cibeles Fountain which was sculpted in 1782 following a design from Ventura Rodríguez. During the Spanish Civil War, it was covered with sandbags to protect it from damage, as were many of the capital's great public works.

Each of the four corners of the square is dominated by imposing buildings, which were built between the late 18^th and early 20^th centuries. The most impressive is the Communications Palace, which has been the seat of the Madrid City Council since 2007 and remains one of the most iconic buildings in the city. You can also see Palacio de Linares which is the current headquarters of the House of America. The building is believed to be haunted. In the other corners, we have the Bank of Spain and the Army General Headquarters.

The Plaza de Cibeles is where triumphant celebrations take place for the victories of Real Madrid. The team has won countless national and international titles over the years.

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Further along is the Puerta de Alcalá, a work of Francisco Sabatini that dates back to 1778. The gate is one of the most well-known monuments of the city, and one of the five royal gates of Madrid. As you can see, the door has the shape of a triumphal arch, but with five doorways instead of the usual three. Its two facades are different on each side. For example, on one side the structure has ten semi-columns, while on the other we see two columns accompanied by pilasters. Furthermore, on one side we can see Roman-style military trophies crowning the central gate, while on the other we can see four children wearing emblems which represent the four cardinal virtues: Fortitude, Temperance, Justice, and Prudence. The façade is different on each side because Sabatini sent several designs to King Carlos III who approved two separate sketches by mistake. The artist chose the most diplomatic solution possible by merging both designs into one. The Puerta de Alcalá is one of the great symbols of the city and has witnessed many historical events. On its columns, you can see bullet holes from both the War of Independence against Napoleon in 1808 and the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. < Ver menos

We are now in the Paseo del Prado within the so-called art triangle, one of the most beautiful and refined places in the world. In just over a kilometer, you’ll see the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the Reina Sofía Museum. Inaugurated in 1819, the Prado Museum is one of the most important galleries in the world, with more than 8,600 paintings and 700 sculptures. Within it, you can admire the works of Spanish painters such as Goya, Velázquez, Sorolla, Rivera and Zurbarán, as well as Italian masters like Botticelli and Caravaggio, and Flemish icons including Rubens and Van der Weyden. Nearby is the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, an immense private collection of 800 works, of which 700 reside here in Madrid and 100 in Pedralves in Barcelona. Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza donated the collection so it could be appreciated as a whole rather than being scattered around the world. In order for the works to remain in Spain, his last wife, the Spaniard Carmen Cervera, took on a crucial role in the negotiation process. After the mediation had finished, the State bought the collection for a "symbolic" price of 300 million dollars and moved it to King Carlos III’s Villahermosa Palace. The palace was restored by Rafael Moneo, the same architect responsible for extending the Prado. Over time, the collection expanded to complete the state-owned collections of the Prado and Reina Sofía museums. < Ver menos