Town Square

Plaza de la Villa is one of Madrid's best-preserved monumental complexes. Located in the historic center, near the Puerta del Sol, it has served as the seat of the city council.

It was one of the main centers of medieval Madrid, as three small streets from the city's original layout originated here: Calle del Codo, Calle del Cordón, and Calle de Madrid. Surrounding the square are the main facades of three buildings of great historical and artistic value, erected in different centuries. The oldest is the Casa y Torre de los Lujanes (15th century), built in the Gothic-Mudéjar style, which stands on the eastern side of the square and is now home to the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. Next in age are the Casa de Cisneros (16th century), a Plateresque palace that closes off the southern part of the square, and the Casa de la Villa (17th century), in Baroque style, one of the former seats of the Madrid City Council, located in the western part of the square. In the 15th century, the square adopted its current name, coinciding with the granting of the title of Noble and Loyal Town to Madrid by King Henry IV of Castile (1425-1474). To commemorate the third centenary of the death of the sailor Don Álvaro de Bazán (1526-1588), in 1888 the City Council decided to erect a monument in his memory. However, it was not inaugurated until December 19, 1891. Since then, it has stood in the center of the square and is currently surrounded by a large flowerbed.