Welcome to Madrid

A small garden area in the centre of Madrid (with several almond trees in honour of the name of the street) holds an important part of the history of our city: a powerful 12th century Christian wall canvas, now recovered, which corresponds to part of the original route of the defence that ran between Puerta de Moros and Puerta Cerrada.

The Christian wall, according to the archaeological remains that have been verified in different excavations in the urban area inside and outside the city, of the walls, began to be built after the fall of Toledo during the reign of Alfonso VI and continued its construction coinciding with the instability of borders and domains during the 12th century and first third of the 13th century until 1212 (battle of Navas de Tolosa). The wall, therefore, is neither unitary in its construction nor contemporary in its entire perimeter, as is reflected in the Fuero (jurisdiction) of Madrid.

The section of canvas preserved on the current municipal site at Calle del Almendro, 15-17 corresponds to part of the original route between Puerta de Moros and Puerta Cerrada, a walled-in canvas that runs along the current dividing walls between Calle del Almendro and Cava Baja. This route is represented, although it cannot be recognised, in Marcelli-Witt's plan (1622-1635), where you can see the walls of the wall and a tower inside the block.