Plaza Mayor - Madrid, Spain
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 40° 24.930 W 003° 42.445
30T E 439982 N 4474115
The Plaza Mayor was built in the 1600's and was commissioned by King Philip III of Spain.
Waymark Code: WMKV8H
Location: Comunidad de Madrid, Spain
Date Posted: 05/30/2014
Views: 16
This giant plaza is one of the most famous and visited in the world. It was built during the Habsburg era with over 250 balconies facing the center of the plaza. It has 9 entrance ways. "The origins of the Plaza go back to 1577 when Philip II asked Juan de Herrera, a renowned Classical architect, to discuss a plan to remodel the busy and chaotic area of the old Plaza del Arrabal. Juan de Herrera was the artist who designed the first project in 1560 to remodel the old Plaza del Arrabal but construction did not start until 1617, during Philip III's reign. The king asked Juan Gómez de Mora to continue with the project, and he finished the porticoes in 1619. Nevertheless, the Plaza Mayor as we know it today is the work of the architect Juan de Villanueva who was given the glorious, albeit difficult task of its reconstruction in 1790 after a series of enormous fires. Giambologna's equestrian statue of Philip III dates to 1616, but it was not placed in the centre of the square until 1848."
Visit Instructions:
Please provide another photo of the location. You don't have to be in there shot, but you can. The photo requirement is to discourage any armchair visiting.