El Oso y el Madroño

In the recently renovated Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, where it meets the start of Calle de Alcalá, you will find the popular sculpture that represents the figure of the bear and the strawberry tree, symbol of the city of Madrid. The sculpture was unveiled on 19 January 1967 in the same place where the Mariblanca fountain once stood, also in Puerta del Sol. Today, it is a meeting point for locals and tourists alike.

The origins of these two figures date back to the time of Alfonso VIII, when they appeared on the flag raised by the inhabitants of Madrid. This coat of arms lasted until 1859.

After the proposal made in 1966 by the Madrid Department of Culture to the mayor to include in the city’s coat of arms the image of a bear standing before the strawberry tree, and to build a monument in some emblematic place, sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafé cast the bronze sculpture we know today, placing it on a simple limestone and granite pedestal.

Initially, it was installed at the meeting point between Calle de Alcalá and Carrera de San Jerónimo, but was then moved to the start of Calle del Carmen. After the works carried out on the square in 2022, the statue was removed and later relocated close to its original location, at the meeting point between Calle de Alcalá and Puerta del Sol.

Images credits:

© Antonello Dellanotte