Plaza de Oriente
in Madrid
Looking onto both The Royal Palace to the west and the Royal Theatre to the east, this square is in a prime location. Due to its prestigious address, strolling around this well maintained garden gives a feeling of leisurely nobility. In the centre of the square stands a bronze statue of King Felipe the 4th on horseback. Advice from Galileo was needed on the proportions, they wanted the horse to kick his hind legs in the air but were not sure how this could support the weight of the statue. His advice was to fill the hind legs with solid bronze and make the other two hollow. Thanks to Galileo the physics worked and it remains one of the only statues in the world with these gravity defying proportions. Overlooking this statue are hundreds of dead kings of the past, in statue form of course. This time made from stone, these statues can be found in every corner of the square. They were built to adorn the roof of the palace but as the legend says, Queen Isabel dreamed they were going to fall on top of her and immediately ordered that they be placed out on solid ground. There were so many statues they didn't all fit in this square so keep an eye out for dead Spanish kings around other Madrid parks such as Retiro and the gardens of Sabatini.
Check out great hotels like Vincci Via - 66, Intur Palacio San Martin and Emperador
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