Plaza de la Villa

Plaza de la Villa is one of Madrid’s best-preserved historical monuments. It’s located in the heart of the capital, next to Puerta del Sol, and up until not so long ago, it was home to Madrid City Council.

Given that the three streets that lead from the square (Codo, Cordón and Madrid) gave the city its original design, Plaza de la Villa was one of the main centres of the medieval capital. Here, we can find the principal façades of three buildings with great historical and artistic value that were built in different centuries. The oldest of the three is the Lujanes house and tower (15th century), which takes on a Gothic-Mudéjar style and is located on the eastern side of the square. Today, it’s the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. Following in chronological order, the Plateresque palace Casa de Cisneros (16th century) stands at the southern part of the plaza, and the Baroque-style Casa de la Villa (17th century), which was once home to Madrid City Council, is situated on the western side of the square.

In the 15th century, and coinciding with the city being declared “Noble and Loyal” by King Henry IV of Castile (1425-1474), the square adopted its current name.

In 1888, on the three hundredth anniversary of Don Álvaro de Bazán’s (1526-1588) death, the city council decided to erect a monument in honour of the admiral. It wasn't inaugurated, however, until 19 December 1891. Since then, it has stood in the centre of Plaza de la Villa and today you'll find it surrounded by a large ornamental flower garden.