Be one more in the neighbourhood- Sol: The streets that begin in Puerta del Sol

Last week we told you about the history of the Puerta del Sol, today we would like to show you which streets begin in this plaza. You’ve surely passed through them a million times, but, would you be able to tell us how many there are and their names?

You’re probably missing a few. There’s 10 of them. Would you like to get to know them a bit better?

• Calle de Alcalá: One of the main streets in Madrid, and the longest one in town. It starts in Puerta del Sol, and extends for 10,200 metres to the east-Northeast, just right up to the road that connects with the O’Donnell station, in the Rejas neighbourhood. In its journey you can find emblematic buildings such as the Cibeles fountain or the Puerta de Alcalá.
• Carrera de San Jerónimo: Starting in Puerta del Sol and separates into two differentiated parts. The first goes up to the Plaza de Canalejas and the second one, ends in the Plaza de las Cortes. Francisco de Goya lived in this street between 1778 and 1779.
• Calle Espoz y Mina: You might know it for its Callejón del gato (Or Calle Álvarez Gato), mentioned by Valle Inclán in his work Luces de Bohemia. Another curious fact is that in the 14th of this same street the actress María Álvarez Tubau was born, contemporary of María Guerrero.
• Calle de las Carretas: Do you know where the name of this street comes from? During the war of the Castille Communities, they decided to put as a parapet a series of wooden carts to defend the city. Ruperto Chapí, a zarzuela composer, dedicated one of his songs to this street.
• Calle del Correo: This street, that ends in Plaza de Pontejos, is located between two of the most ancient buildings in Puerta del Sol: The Real Casa de Correos and the Casa Cordero, considered the most representative civil construction from the Madrid of the 19th Century.

• Calle Mayor: You surely know this street for the famous bakery you can find in it, La Mallorquina. Founded in 1894, it’s famous for the delicious pain au chocolat and the wide variety of pastries. In the number 61 of this street you can find the building where Calderón de la Barca lived in and died.
• Calle del Arenal: This is the one that ends in Plaza de Isabel II (Ópera), where you can find the Royal Theatre. In this street there was an assasination atempt on Luis Amadeo de Saboya in 1872. In this same street also lived the famous matador
• Calle de Preciados: The one that goes from Puerta del Sol to Plaza de Santo Domingo, through Callao In 1943, in this very important avenue, one of the first departments stores in Madrid opened; Galerías Preciados, (nowadays El Corte Inglés) that took its name from the street. It also has the great honour of being one of the first pedestrian streets in the Spanish capital.
• Calle del Carmen: Starts in Puerta del Sol and ends in Plaza de Callao. This is one of the most commercial and touristic streets in Madrid. The name of the street is probably due to the Convent and Church del Carmen Calzado that once existed in this street. In the number 4, you can find the building where the painter Juan Gris was born in 1887.
• Calle de la Montera: You’ve probably heard of this street because since the beginning of the 20th Century its upper part has been known for the prostitution practised in the area. However, it’s a very busy and safe street.

Come on and take a walk through these emblematic streets in Madrid and verify these and other curious facts.