Puerta del Conde

A masonry gate in the old city walls where, in 1844, patriots proclaimed independence and first raised the Dominican flag. The gate takes its name from a colonial-era count who defended the city, and it stands at the entrance to a park that also holds the Altar of the Homeland, a marble mausoleum for the founding fathers. As the symbolic birthplace of the nation, the site hosts civic ceremonies and remains a focus of national identity within the historic quarter's fortifications.