Plaza Mayor, Madrid

The main square - Plaza Mayor, is an impressive square with symmetrical architecture in the center of Madrid, extremely popular with tourists and locals, The history of the square began to be written in the distant 1560 on a place that was used for market. 
Felipe II commissioned Juan de Herrera, the architect of Escorial, to turn it into a majestic square that would be the face of the city. The main square was completed in 1617 during the reign of Philip III, measuring 120 meters long and 90 meters wide.
Plaza Mayor is surrounded by wooden buildings with a height of 1 to 6 floors. But as a bad omen, in 1631, 1672 and 1790, a fire destroyed everything and after each disaster the buildings were reconstructed again, with the last restoration planned by Juan de Villanueva, who gave the town square the look we see today.
Since its inception, the central Plaza Mayor has been the scene of celebrations, bullfights, royal coronations and even public executions. Its capacity allows 50,000 spectators to enjoy every entertainment and spectacle that took place there.
One of the two landmarks glorifying and attracting visitors to the city's Plaza Mayor is the bronze statue of King Philip III in its very center. It was constructed in 1616 by the Italian sculptor Giovanni De Bologna and his apprentice Pietro Taca.
In 1848 the statue was moved from the Casa de la Panaderia to the town square, and at the same time gardens were added to its decor, but in 1936 they were removed. It is the Casa de la Panaderia that is the most prominent building in the entire town square, of municipal and cultural significance, the seat of the influential guild of bakers.
The project for the construction of the building was entrusted to Juan Gomez de Mora. It was built in 1619 and after the second fire in 1670 was reconstructed by Thomas Roman, who commissioned the artists Claudio Coelho and Jose Jimenez Donoso to decorate the interior and frescoes on the facade of the building.
Each city has its own squares, but Plaza Mayor in Madrid is not just a square. The main square is just the square of the squares. It is a place that has preserved many stories and memories that he tells to every person who decided to enrich his tour with a visit.