City Guides

Connoisseur’s Guide to St. Anna Square

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Written by Aksel Ritenis

santa-ana1Mayor and the Puerta del Sol. It is also possible to walk to Madrid’s main museums from here, making this area an ideal location to stay in the city.

The square was originally the site of the Convent of Santa Ana, founded in 1586 but demolished during the reign of José Bonaparte (Napoleon’s brother), in 1810. In its place, the Plaza was created around 1848.


On its east side, the “Teatro Español” may be found, whose origins go back to 1583, although the current building was constructed in 1849 after the first, an open air theatre, was burnt down. In this theatre Spain’s most important writers have seen their works acted out on stage.

To the west, the unmistakable façade of the ME Madrid Reina Victoria hotel dominates the square. The hotel was built in 1916, the large front windows of its rooms enjoying truly spectacular views of the Plaza.

s_1Two statues in the square play tribute to two great Spanish personalities. The first, close to the hotel, is of Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–1681), the famous Spanish playwright. The second, just in front of the Theatre, is of Federico García Lorca (1898–1936), poet and dramatist, killed by the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War.


Plaza Santa Ana is a great place to start an evening’s entertainment in Madrid. The Madrileños will often start arriving to this area around 1pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Plaza Santa Ana is a very pleasant square just off Puerta del Sol and situated in an older barrio of Madrid; indeed the house where Miguel de Cervantes (writer of Don Quixote) lived is a couple of streets away in Calle Cervantes.

At night the square becomes one of the most important hot spots for night time entertainment. My favourite bars in the square include “La Moderna” and “Cerveceria Santa Ana” and “Cerveceria Alemana” the latter are typical Madrid bars with oak panelling, huge beer pumps and waiters turned out in white waistcoats.

About the author

Aksel Ritenis

Axel is the Editor and Publisher of Connoisseur Magazine "for the Finer Things in Life" and has been the custodian of the magazine for over 10 years and leader of a team of freelance Journalists and Community Members who continue to make it all happen!-Join the Team at Connoisseur Magazine!

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