Puerta del Sol · Madrid
Buildings
The architecture that shapes the square: the Real Casa de Correos and its clock, and the former Hotel de París, today an Apple store.
The Casas de Cordero and the Hotel Europa
The history of the Casas de Cordero, one of Madrid's first great modern apartment blocks: Santiago Alonso Cordero, the Fonda de la Vizcaína and the Hotel Europa.
LeerThe Real Casa de Correos
History of the Real Casa de Correos, the oldest building in the Puerta del Sol: from 18th-century post office to Ministry of the Interior, Directorate-General of Security and seat of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid.
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La Fonda de los Príncipes
La Fonda de los Príncipes opened in 1861 within the arc of the new Puerta del Sol. The hotel's story: from the Gran Hotel de la Paix and the Hostal Americano to its reopening in 2026.
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La Mallorquina, a pastry shop in Sol since 1894
The history of La Mallorquina, the Puerta del Sol pastry shop founded in 1894: its Mallorcan partners, the ensaimadas, the hot chocolate, the napolitanas and its historic upstairs salon.
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The Old Hotel de París
The building that today houses the Apple Store was the Hotel de París for 142 years. Its story: from the Buen Suceso to Manet, the Café de la Montaña, Valle-Inclán and the Tío Pepe sign.
LeerNo longer standing
The Hotel del Universo and the café of mirrors
The history of the vanished Hotel del Universo and the Café Universal in the Puerta del Sol, known as the café of mirrors and frequented by Benito Pérez Galdós.
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The Church and Hospital of the Buen Suceso
For more than three centuries, the eastern end of Puerta del Sol was occupied by the church and hospital of the Buen Suceso. Its history, the 2nd of May 1808, its demolition in 1854 and the remains preserved in the Cercanías station.
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The Convento de la Victoria
The history of the vanished convent of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, which occupied part of the old Puerta del Sol for nearly three centuries until its demolition.
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San Felipe el Real, the gossip mill of Madrid
The history of the vanished convent of San Felipe el Real and its famous steps, known as the Mentidero de la Villa for being Madrid's great hub of news and rumor.
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