Puerta de Alcalá. The Puerta de Alcalá (Alcalá's Gate) is a large granite monument located at the Plaza de la Independencia (Independence Square) adjacent to the Parque del Retiro and is one of the big landmarks of Madrid. King Carlos III ordered to built this gate to the Italian architect Francisco Sabatini in 1769. The Puerta de Alcalá was completed nine years later in 1778.

Date: July 22, 2006