Alcalá Gate

Located in the center of Plaza de la Independencia, the Puerta de Alcalá is one of the five former royal gates that provided access to the city. It was built by order of Charles III to replace an earlier gate dating from the 16th century. This monumental gate, inaugurated in 1778, is situated next to the Retiro Park and is the meeting point of such prominent streets as Alcalá, Alfonso XII, and Serrano. It is one of Madrid's iconic tourist landmarks. Designed by Francesco Sabatini, it is a neoclassical granite triumphal arch, the first built in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, and a precursor to other well-known arches such as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Unlike the Puerta de Toledo or the Puerta de San Vicente, it has five openings instead of the usual three. The two façades display different decorations. The inner face (the one that faced the city at the time, featuring military trophies and lion heads) is simpler than the outer face, which is dominated by the royal coat of arms and has richer decoration (including figures of children representing the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude). This was the face seen by those entering Madrid. It gets its name from its location next to the road that led to Alcalá de Henares. The restoration of the Puerta de Alcalá has been awarded the European Heritage Award/Europa Nostra Award 2025. 2025, the highest European recognition in the field of cultural heritage. Initiated in 2022 by the Madrid City Council, the project respected the historical and material values of the monument, relying on the work of more than one hundred specialists—restorers, architects, engineers, historians, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and sculptors—who applied traditional techniques and cutting-edge technology. In addition, the Puerta de Alcalá has received a second award: the 2025 People's Choice Award, after obtaining the most votes in the open European-level vote.