Palacio de Cibeles
CentroCentro
Cibeles Fountain
Madrid Spain
2008

Iconic venue built in 1904, with displays on urban life plus a tower with panoramic city views.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybele_Palace

https://www.madrid-traveller.com/palacio-de-cibeles/

The Palacio de Cibeles, located in the heart of Madrid, is the most important building in the Plaza de Cibeles.

The Palacio de Cibeles was formerly known as Palacio de Telecomunicaciones, and today as CentroCentro.

The building, which looks like a cathedral, was built in 1909 by the architects Antonio Palacios and Joaquín Otamendi to be the headquarters of Spain’s post office. This spectacular building was the seat of Postal and Telegraphic Museum until 2007, when it became the new headquarters of the Madrid City Hall, previously located in Plaza de la Villa.

In addition to the area where public servants work, CentroCentro has more than 5,000 square meters of exhibition space distributed on floors 1, 3, 4 and 5. These spaces exhibit artistic projects and initiatives on urban culture that reflect the character of the city and its residents.

Located in the Palacio de Cibeles, the seat of the City Council, this Paseo del Arte public culture and leisure center is a lively and effervescent space, connected to the city and urban life. His proposal raises the dialogue between disciplines –design, illustration, art, photography, urbanism, architecture, music, literature, history– with the aim of activating critical thinking in the face of the challenges of the present and the future. Its programming seeks to generate new ways of relating to culture, from intellectual reflection and fun, provoking the curiosity of an increasingly diverse public.


18th century neoclassical fountain depicting the goddess Cybele on a chariot pulled by 2 lions.

The fountain of Cybele is found in the part of Madrid commonly called the Paseo de Recoletos. This fountain is named after Cybele, a Phrygian goddess. The fountain is traditionally the place where Real Madrid C.F. celebrate their team victories, with the team captain placing a Real Madrid flag and scarf on the statue.

https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/fuente-de-la-cibeles

Cibeles Fountain has been standing in this emblematic square since 1782. One of the city’s most famous landmarks, it depicts Cybele, the Great Mother of the gods and Roman goddess of fertility, atop a chariot drawn by two lions.

It stands in the centre of the Plaza de Cibeles, the square to which it has lent its name and which marks the start of Madrid’s avenue of art, the Paseo del Arte. The fountain is flanked by four magnificent buildings: Buenavista Palace (the Army’s General Headquarters), Linares Palace (which accommodates the Casa de América cultural institution), Cibeles Palace (previously the main Post Office, it now houses Madrid City Hall and CentroCentro cultural centre), and the Bank of Spain. Commissioned by King Charles III it was designed by renowned Spanish architect Ventura Rodriguez, the man behind Liria Palace and Neptuno Fountain All three figures were made with purple marble from the town of Montesclaros, in Toledo, and the rest of the monument was carved from stone from Redueña, an area 53km to the north of Madrid, close to the La Cabrera mountain range.

When it was first erected, the monument was not only intended to be decorative but also functional, providing water for the official water carriers – who would deliver water to houses – and for the general public. It was also used by the cavalry as a water stop for their horses. Today, as well as being one of the city’s famous landmarks (and having an identical twin in Mexico City), it’s where you should head to if you want to join Real Madrid fans celebrating their team’s many victories.