Puerta de Toledo

This triumphal granite gateway in the southern part of the old city was completed in the early nineteenth century, initially begun to honor Napoleon's brother during the French occupation and later rededicated to the restored Spanish monarchy. Its central arch is flanked by lower side passages and topped with allegorical sculpture. The monument marks a historic entrance on the road toward the city of Toledo. Now encircled by traffic, it stands as a reminder of Madrid's turbulent early nineteenth-century politics.