Malasaña: home to amazing streetart, cradle of La Movida, the barrio where two centuries ago few but valiant Spanish soldiers eyeballed the French interlopers. It took years but the French blinked
(For the history behind Dos de Mayo, go to
“Second of May: The Madrileños, Napoleon Bonaparte & Guerilla Warfare”)
It’s been 210 years but the places of Madrid heroism are still there, very much alive and thriving.
See them as they are today!
Puerta del Sol: scene of one of the earliest combats between the Madrileños and the French occupiers. Plaza de la Puerta del Sol s/n, 28013 Madrid
Puerta de Toledo: This Neoclassical gate to the city of Madrid was yet to be constructed in 1808. But there was fighting on Dos de Mayo around where the Puerta would be built. Fittingly styled Arc de Triomphe, it was constructed between 1813 and 1827 in honor of Fernando VII and to celebrate the liberation of Spain from the French forces. The Puerta de Toledo is at the Glorieta de la Puerta de Toledo, 28005 Madrid
Monument to Capts. Daoiz and Velarde, heroes of the asault by the French of the Monteleon Barracks in Malasaña. The arch in the center of the monument used to be the gate to the barracks. The monument is located in the Plaza Dos de Mayo where the barracks stood
Obelisk, in memory of the Heroes of Dos de Mayo, rises from the spot where 48 Madrileños were executed on order of Marshal Joachim Murat, Plaza de la Lealtad s/n along Paseo del Prado, 28014 Madrid. Unveiled on 2 May 1840 and reinaugurated in 1985 as the Monument to the Fallen for Spain
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Images
>Featured image/r2hox, CC BY-SA2.0
>Principe Pio/Diego Fernandez, CC BY-ND2.0
>Puerta del Sol/Tomas Fano, CC BY-SA2.0
>Royal Palace/Jan SOLO, CC BY-SA2.0
>Bando monument/Zarateman, PD
>Monument to Liberty/Zarateman, PD
>Plaza Dos de Mayo (people)/PromoMadrid/Max Alexander CC BY-SA2.0
>Puerta de Toledo/manuel m.v., CC BY2.0
>Monument to Daoiz and Velarde/Matiaest, PD
>Obelisk/Ruben Vique, CC BY2.0
>Moncloa/losminimos, CC BY-SA2.0
Texts, prints, photos and other illustrative materials depicted in GUIDEPOST have been either contributed by the authors of each published work or, to the Magazine’s good-faith knowledge, are in the public domain or otherwise benefit from the allowances of Articles 9(2), 10, 10(bis), and applicable others of the Berne Convention for the Protection of literary and artistic works.