Plaza de Santa Ana, Madrid

Plaza de Santa Ana is an open square in Madrid’s Barrio de las Letras, created in 1810. Its long history is visible in the buildings and sculpture around its perimeter: the Teatro Español and Hotel Reina Victoria stand here, alongside monuments to Pedro Calderón de la Barca and Federico García Lorca. The square occupies ground once belonging to the convent of San José and Santa Ana, whose church was completed in 1611.

During the reign of José Bonaparte, the convent complex was demolished, opening the way for the square. The Teatro Español became the dominant building on the plaza after demolitions concluded in 1868. In 1925, it became Madrid’s first pedestrian square.

Later redesigns repeatedly altered its character: a wartime project replaced trees with paths and decorative ironwork, while the underground car park works begun in 1967 removed the last surviving cedar. The square’s terraces now fill much of its surface, continuing a long association with cafés, taverns and theatres. Along the perimeter, the Hotel Reina Victoria building was designed between 1919 and 1923, and became a hotel in 1986.