Place · Spain
The history of Madrid
Assembled from 6 dug tiles · 62 sourced records · 1083–2025 · last reviewed 4 November 2026
Madrid gathers here as a city rebuilt and reopened in layers: a royal park turned public garden, a banking palace turned hotel, a street widened in the nineteenth century, a restaurant open since 1865, and ground marked twice by bombing, in 1974 and 2006.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Madrid — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Madrid
A bank-and-palace corner in central MadridYou're standing where Calle Sevilla meets Alcalá, among some of Madrid's grandest 19th-century bank buildings. Calle Sevilla
1483–1983 Madrid's royal park turned public garden
This point sits inside the Buen Retiro Park, once a royal retreat and now one of Madrid's largest public parks. Parque del Buen Retiro
1083–2000 Madrid's grand avenue near Puerta del Sol
You're standing near the Casino de Madrid, on the stretch of Calle de Alcalá leading into central Madrid. Banco Español de Crédito building
1572–2020 A street behind Plaza Mayor
You're standing on Calle de Cuchilleros, steps from the oldest working restaurant in the world. Sobrino de Botín
1600–2025 A bomb on Calle del Correo killed thirteen in 1974
A bombing killed 13, 1974 Monasterio de San Felipe
1547–1977 Site of the 2006 airport bombing
You're standing near the car park of Madrid-Barajas Airport's Terminal 4, where a van bomb exploded in 2006. Airport T4 Departures
1931–2008
Madrid in layers
The Kilómetro Cero plaque marks the origin point of Spain's radial national road network, right outside the Royal House of the Post Office. Kilómetro Cero
1083
Madrid was taken in 1083 by Alfonso VI of León and Castile as part of his wider campaign to conquer the taifa of Toledo, establishing the Christian town as an offensive outpost. Wikipedia
1464 founding; 16th-century construction
Built on a site with roots back to 1464, the Church of Saint Jerome the Royal became one of Madrid's most important religious buildings and a center of Spanish royal life. Wikipedia
1483
The Iglesia del Buen Suceso (Church of Good Fortune) stood on the eastern edge of the Puerta del Sol, about 200 meters south of where you are, from the 15th century until the 1970s when it was demolished. It marked a boundary of medieval Madrid for centuries and was one of the city's oldest surviving religious structures before its destruction. Wikipedia
1520
In 1520, during the Revolt of the Comuneros, the Alcázar fortress came under siege. This civil uprising against royal authority resulted in the siege of the royal residence, marking a major moment of conflict in early 16th-century Spanish history. The Alcázar stands about 1.2 kilometers southwest of your position. Wikidata
from 1547
From 1547 the Monasterio de San Felipe stood here, its steps famous as a mentidero — a talking-shop "from which news came out before events had even happened." Monasterio de San Felipe plaque
1565
The Teatro Español, formerly known as the Teatro del Príncipe, was founded in 1565 as a theater in the Corral del Príncipe (Prince's Courtyard). It is one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in Spain and has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1915 after a devastating fire. It stands about 260 meters south. Wikipedia
354 meters away
Francis Borgia, a Spanish nobleman who became a Jesuit priest, was buried in 1572 at the First Professed House of the Jesuits in Madrid, roughly 354 meters from your position. He was canonized as a saint in 1671. Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía (Wikidata)
17th century to 1805
The Plaza Mayor served as the primary venue for judicial executions from the 17th century to 1805. Methods varied by status: nobles were beheaded, commoners were garroted or hanged. madridsecreto.co and SpottingHistory
17th-18th centuries
The Plaza Mayor hosted autos-da-fé (Inquisition trials and executions) for centuries. These elaborate ceremonies lasted entire days and drew crowds who camped out to secure viewing spots. SpottingHistory and Fascinating Spain
440 meters north
A Basilian monastery was established in 1611 just north of your location. It stood for over two centuries until its dissolution in 1836 during Spain's religious reforms. OpenHistoricalMap
1621
Rodrigo Calderón, a powerful nobleman and court favorite under Philip III, was executed by garrote vil in the Plaza Mayor in 1621. His death was one of the most memorable executions in the square's history. madridsecreto.co
1625
The Mariblanca statue, bought in 1625 as a Florentine gift to crown the vanished Fountain of Faith, is the only fragment of that monument left in the square. Wikipedia: Mariblanca
1625
The Monastery of Corpus Christi las Carboneras, a female community of the Order of Saint Jerome, was established in 1625 near the Plaza Mayor and remains active today. wikipedia
1630-1640
Designed by architect Alonso Carbonell, the palace complex was built on the orders of Philip IV as a royal retreat between 1630 and 1640. Wikipedia
433 meters south
Lope de Vega, one of Spain's greatest playwrights, was buried in San Sebastián Church in 1635 when he died at age 73. The church lies 433 meters south of you, holding his remains and those of other notable Madrileños. San Sebastian Church (Wikidata)
1693
The San Sebastián Church, located about 420 meters south, was built in 1693 in the baroque style. It served the parishes and communities of central Madrid for centuries and remains one of the surviving baroque churches from the period when this quarter was still forming. Wikidata
1700
The Convento de la Natividad y San José, commonly called the Convento de las Baronesas, was established in the 17th century about 270 meters northeast of where you stand. It housed Carmelite nuns and was one of several convents that occupied this central district before most were dissolved in the 19th century. Wikipedia
1745
The Pontifical Basilica of Saint Michael, a Baroque-style Catholic church, was completed in 1745 near the Plaza Mayor. It remains one of the city center's significant religious structures. wikipedia
18th century
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, one of Spain's most prestigious artistic institutions, is located about 80 meters north of your position. Founded in the 18th century, it has educated generations of Spanish artists and remains central to Madrid's cultural life. Wikipedia
18th century
The eighteenth-century Real Casa de Correos was built for the postal service and now houses the presidency of the Community of Madrid. Wikipedia: Royal House of the Post Office
1781; moved 1880
The Fuente de la Alcachofa was built in 1781 for the Salón del Prado and was later moved to the Retiro in 1880, where it stands at the center of Plaza de Honduras. Wikipedia
1790, Plaza Mayor
A major fire swept through the Plaza Mayor starting near the Arco de Cuchilleros in 1790, nearly destroying the entire plaza. The architect Juan de Villanueva subsequently redesigned the square. callesdemadrid.blogspot.com
1794
The Spanish playwright Ramón de la Cruz, known for his sainetes (short comic plays) that depicted Madrid life, died in 1794 at the palace of the Condesa-Duquesa de Benavente on Calle Sevilla. A municipal metal plaque marks the spot where he passed, commemorating one of Madrid's most celebrated writers of the 18th century. Insólito callejero de Madrid
Questions about Madrid
What is Madrid known for historically?
Madrid is known for its royal past and its long civic life side by side: the Buen Retiro Park, built from 1630 as a royal retreat under Philip IV and opened to the public in 1868, and Sobrino de Botín on Calle de Cuchilleros, opened in 1865 and listed by Guinness as the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world.
What happened at Madrid in 1974?
On 13 September 1974 a bomb exploded in the Rolando cafe on Calle del Correo, near the Puerta del Sol, killing thirteen people and wounding seventy-one, an attack attributed to ETA.
What happened at Madrid-Barajas Airport in 2006?
On 30 December 2006 a van bomb planted by ETA exploded in the Terminal 4 car park, killing two men asleep in their cars and injuring 52 others, ending a nine-month ETA ceasefire and leading the government to abandon peace talks with the group.
What stood on the corner of Calle Sevilla and Alcalá before the Four Seasons Hotel?
That corner once held a palace where the playwright Ramón de la Cruz died in 1794. It was rebuilt as the Palacio de la Equitativa bank building between 1887 and 1891, and reopened in 2020 as the Four Seasons Hotel Madrid after a six-year renovation.
How old is Calle Sevilla in Madrid?
Calle Sevilla was carved out between 1867 and 1885, when the city widened a cramped lane once called Calle de los Peligros into a broad new street linking into Calle de Alcalá.
Why is Plaza de Honduras named as it is?
Plaza de Honduras, inside the Buen Retiro Park, takes its name from Honduras, one of several corners of the park named for Latin American nations.