Madrid Citywalk｜Puerta del Sol

The Puerta del Sol in Madrid is located in the heart of the Spanish capital, Madrid, and is also the central point of the Spanish highway network. The city gate marks the starting point of the national radial highway network from Madrid, the 0 kilometer mark, which is the starting point of all Spanish highways, with 10 streets radiating outwards, surrounded by various bustling shops, and is one of the favorite check-in spots for tourists visiting Madrid! The city gate faces the direction of the sunrise, hence the name Puerta del Sol. The statue of the "Bear and the Strawberry Tree" on the square is the origin of the name Madrid (Madrid). Legend has it that when Madrid was still a small village, there were often groups of bears in the surrounding forests, and there were large patches of strawberries in the forest. A little boy encountered a big bear while playing in the forest and hurriedly climbed a strawberry tree to avoid the big bear's attack. Just as the big bear was about to climb the strawberry tree, the little boy's mother came looking in the direction of the strawberry tree, but did not notice the big bear behind her. In a hurry, the little boy shouted loudly "mad rid! mad rid!" (Mom run! Mom run!). A passing hunter came to protect the little boy's mother upon hearing the sound. To commemorate the little boy's wit and bravery, the two words the child shouted to his mother were combined to form the name of this city - Madrid (Madrid), and the image of the bear and the strawberry tree became the emblem of Madrid, and this iconic sculpture is located in the Puerta del Sol. The most eye-catching place in the center of the square is the equestrian statue of King Carlos III of Spain (renovated). In the 18th century, this king carried out a series of improvement projects on Madrid's infrastructure, promoting the modernization of the city. Every New Year's Eve, as the last 12 seconds of the New Year ring out, people gather in the Puerta del Sol. With each loud bell, they eat a grape, and at the moment the last New Year's bell rings, they swallow the 12 grapes in their mouths smoothly, representing a lucky year next year.