The story
Welcome to the heart of Madrid’s most poetic neighborhood, the Barrio de las Letras. As you stand here in the Plaza de Santa Ana, you are standing in the living room of Spanish literature. Take a moment to look around.
The cobblestones beneath your feet and the lively terraces that line the square carry the echoes of the Golden Age, a time when the greatest playwrights and poets in history walked these very streets. To start our journey, look toward the eastern end of the plaza, where you’ll see the statue of Federico García Lorca. He stands there, gentle and contemplative, holding a small lark between his hands as if he is about to set a poem into flight.
Lorca was the voice of modern Spain, a man whose life was tragically cut short during the Civil War, but whose spirit remains the anchor of this square. Directly opposite Lorca, at the other end of the plaza, sits Pedro Calderón de la Barca. He represents the 17th-century peak of Spanish drama.
It is no coincidence that these two giants face each other across this open space. They are guarding the Teatro Español, the grand, white-facaded building that dominates one side of the square. This is the oldest theater in Spain, standing on the site of a 16th-century corral de comedias, where the public once gathered to watch the works of Lope de Vega and Cervantes under the open sky.
If you look toward the northern side of the square, your eyes will be drawn to the elegant, turreted building that is now the Hotel ME Madrid Reina Victoria. In the mid-20th century, this was known as the Bullfighters' Hotel. Legends like Manolete would stay here, often in the same room every time for luck, before heading to the Las Ventas bullring.
It was a place of ritual, fear, and celebration. Just a few doors down, you’ll find the Cervecería Alemana. With its dark wood and traditional atmosphere, it looks much the same as it did when Ernest Hemingway sat at the marble-topped tables.
Hemingway famously called it one of the best places in Spain to have a beer, and he would sit for hours observing the bullfighters and the local characters that still make this neighborhood so vibrant. Today, the Plaza de Santa Ana is the perfect bridge between old and new Madrid. It is a place where you can grab a plate of tapas and watch the world go by, surrounded by the ghosts of geniuses and the laughter of the modern city.
As you continue your walk, remember that every alleyway leading off this square holds a story. This isn’t just a place to visit; it’s a place to read. Enjoy the rhythm of the Barrio de las Letras.