The Puerta de Alcalá ("Alcalá Gate") is of the monuments that makes us think of Madrid. It´s placed in the Plaza de la Independencia, just in front of the main gate of Parque del Retiro. The Puerta de Alcalá is a neo-classical monument and its name originates from the old path from Madrid to the nearby town of Alcalá de Henares.
Madrid still remained a somewhat drab villa in appearance in the late 19th century, it was still surrounded by medieval walls. Around 1774, king Charles III commissioned the Italian architect Francesco Sabatini to build a monumental gate in the city wall where the road to Aragón (Camino de Aragón) started, replacing the old and much smaller gate that was originally constructed in 1599 to welcome doña Margarita de Austria (wife of King Felipe III) to Madrid.
The new gate, constructed of granite and stone from the area of Madrid known as "Colmenar", was inaugurated in 1778.
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