Plaza de España (Madrid) 5.35

Plaza de España is a large square, a popular tourist destination located in central Madrid, Spain at the western end of the Gran Vía. It features a monument to Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and is adjacent to two of Madrid's most prominent skyscrapers. Additionally, the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) is only a short walk south from the plaza.Cervantes MonumentThe center of the plaza features a monument to Spanish novelist, poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra designed by architects Rafael Martínez Zapatero and Pedro Muguruza, and by the sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera. Most of the monument was built between 1925 and 1930. It was finished between 1956 and 1957 by Federico Coullaut-Valera Mendigutia, the son of the original sculptor.The tower portion of the monument includes a stone sculpture of Cervantes overlooking bronze sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Next to the tower, there are two stone representations of Don Quixote's "true love", one as the simple peasant woman Aldonza Lorenzo, and one as the beautiful, imaginary Dulcinea del Toboso.Surrounding buildingsAdjacent to the plaza are two of the tallest buildings in Madrid, the 142 m Torre de Madrid, built in 1957 and the 117 m tall Edificio España, built in 1953.