In the middle of the busy Plaza de la Independencia stands one of Madrid's best known landmarks: the Puerta de Alcalá or Alcala Gate.
In 1764 King Carlos III commissioned the Italian architect Sabatini to construct a large gate to replace a small 16th century baroque gate, built by King Philips III. Carlos III felt the gate, which marked the eastern boundary of the city, was too small for the important gateway to Aragon.