Puerta del Sol, Madrid

Puerta del Sol is the busy public square spread around Madrid’s symbolic kilometre zero, with the Royal House of the Post Office forming its most recognisable historic building. The plaque set into the paving marks the point from which distances on Spain’s radial roads are measured, and it also provides the reference for Madrid street numbers. Above the Post Office, the clock gives this square its most famous annual ritual.

Its bells accompany the traditional eating of twelve grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve, a ceremony broadcast nationally since 31 December 1962. The building itself was designed by the French architect Jacques Marquet and constructed between 1766 and 1768; it now houses the Presidency of the Madrid Community. The square began as a gate in Madrid’s medieval wall.

Its name comes from a sun emblem placed on that entrance because it faced the rising sun. For centuries, people gathered here for news and conversation, especially near the former steps of the Church of Saint Philip. On the square, the mounted figure of Charles III recalls the monarch known for an extensive programme of public works.

Nearby, the Bear and the Strawberry Tree represents Madrid’s heraldic emblem. In 2011, Puerta del Sol became a central symbol of Spain’s 15-M movement, whose demonstrators camped here during their protest.