The Callao Square () is located at the centre of the Spanish capital of
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
.
History and description
Shaped in 1861, the square was formally opened in June 1866; its name remembers the May 1866
battle of Callao
The Battle of Callao (, as it is known in South America) occurred on May 2, 1866, between a Spanish Empire, Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and the fortified battery emplacements of the Peruvian port city of Cal ...
between the Spanish naval forces under the command of
Casto Méndez Núñez and the Peruvian army.
The square was substantially and aggressively reformed in the 21st century. The reform removed nearly all elements present by that time, except the
metro station access and a big tree, turning the square into a
pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...
and homogeneous space, while adding a limited number of pieces of urban furniture. Conversely, big screens were added to the surrounding buildings. Located in a very commercial area of the city, the pedestrian space is often for rent to companies wanting to carry out advertising events.
Buildings
Buildings on the Square include:
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Cine Callao
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El Corte Inglés
El Corte Inglés S.A. is a Spanish department store chain founded in 1940 by Ramón Areces and César Rodríguez. It is the last such remaining in Spain and Portugal, and has been a member of the International Association of Department Stores s ...
department store at #2, 9 stories,
part of a multi-building store complex
*
Fnac
Fnac () is a French multinational retail chain specializing in the sale of entertainment Media (communication), media and consumer electronics.
Fnac was founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its headquarters is located in ''Le Flavia' ...
*
''La Adriática'' building at Plaza de Callao #3 (
Gran Vía #39)
*
Hotel Florida (demolished)
See also
*
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End of London, West End in the City of Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. In this context, a ''List of road junctions in the Unite ...
*
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
*
Yonge-Dundas Square
*
Shibuya
is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station.
As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
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* {{Cite journal, title=Espacios públicos recientemente remodelados en el casco antiguo de Madrid (2006-2011) : la Plaza de Las Cortes y la Plaza del Callao, year=2010, first=Aurelio, last=Nieto Codina, url=http://e-spacio.uned.es/fez/eserv/bibliuned:ETFSerieVI-2010-3085/Documento.pdf, doi=10.5944/etfvi.3.2010.2614, journal=Espacio, Tiempo y Forma, Serie VI, Geografía, issn=1130-2968, location=Madrid, publisher=
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
The National Distance Education University (, UNED) is a distance learning and research university founded in 1972 and is the only university run by the government of Spain. The headquarters is located in Madrid, with campuses in all Spanish ...
, issue=3, doi-access=free
Plaza del Callao
Sol neighborhood, Madrid