Plaza de la Villa (Town Hall Square)
Chapter 4/11 · Madrid
The Plaza de la Villa was one of the centres of medieval Madrid: three little streets from the original layout begin here, Calle del Codo, Calle del Cordón and Calle de Madrid. Its present name dates back to the 15th century, when King Henry IV gave Madrid the title of Noble and Loyal Town. In the middle, the monument to the admiral Álvaro de Bazán was unveiled on 19 December 1891.
The oldest building is the House and Tower of the Lujanes, from the 15th century, in Gothic-Mudéjar style, today the seat of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. It is said that King Francis I of France, captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525, was held prisoner in its tower, although there is no evidence to confirm it.
To the south is the Casa de Cisneros, a Plateresque mansion built in 1537 for Benito Jiménez de Cisneros, nephew of Cardinal Cisneros. And to the west, the Baroque Casa de la Villa: Juan Gómez de Mora began the works in 1644 and it was inaugurated in 1692. It was Madrid's city hall until the mayor's office moved to the Cibeles Palace in 2007.
Now we take Calle de Madrid, which passes under the covered bridge linking the Casa de Cisneros with the Casa de la Villa. On Calle del Sacramento you will see the original, best-preserved façade of the Casa de Cisneros. We will continue to Calle de Bailén.
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