The New Puerta del Sol: Two Symbols Moving

Photo: Sébastien BertrandNext week not one, but two of Madrid's most prominent symbols are going to disappear from its central square. One is the statue of a bear licking (or sniffing) a tree (el oso y el madroño) currently installed a few steps from the Puerta del Sol.

The other one, which we wrote about last year, is the Tío Pepe sign perched atop of the buildings surrounding the plaza.

* * *

Due to reconstruction work in the capital's (and the country's) most central square, both landmarks will be moving a few blocks east, towards carrera de San Jerónimo.

The relatively unassuming (and easy-to-miss) statue of the bear is the work of Spanish sculptor Antonio Navarro. The history of the neon sign was the subject of one of our previous write-ups.