Calle de Alcalá

This street block panorama depicts Madrid’s Alcalá street. This street is one of Madrid’s most important streets, and the longest one, going on for 10.5 km. It takes its name from the city of Alcalá de Henares, which is 33 km east from Madrid, and to where this street was the natural way. It is also one of the oldest streets in Madrid, it starts at the very center of Madrid, the “Puerta del Sol” (Door of the Sun). This square is sometimes called “Kilómetro Cero” (kilometre zero), because initially the road system in Spain was radial and 6 main roads that started here, connecting this place to 6 corners of the country: San Sebastián, Barcelona, Valencia, Cordoba, Cádiz, Badajoz and La Coruña. Calle de Alcalá is the beginning of the second of these roads, and heads to the west, growing together with the city from the 15th century to nowadays. It traditionally has been home for banks and financial institutions in the city. The red brick palace approximately in the center, and also some of the the adjacent buildings are part of the spanish Ministry of Treasury and were constructed between the 18th and the 20th century. Some of the other buildings are banks, insurance companies or public institutions, constructed during the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.