It is difficult to come to Madrid and not notice it. Atocha station is our gateway to and from the city, a hive of comings and goings of locals and travelers. We are all equally amazed at its majestic air and the non-stop bustle that takes place on its platforms.
Atocha is unlike other European stations, starting with that inner garden that steals everyone’s attention, even if you are about to miss the train. It is a railway temple with a long history and full of secrets not so easy to discover with the naked eye. Let’s unveil some of them.
1. Atocha has not always been Atocha
When it was inaugurated it was called the Noon station, although it was also known as the South station. In the same traffic circle the imposing Mediodía hotel reminds us of the beginnings of the Puerta de Madrid. Plus, it’s still called that in the game of Monopoly!
And, then, why did it begin to be called Atocha? There are doubts about the origin of its current name, but it is believed that it could come from the atocha plant, which is also known as esparto grass. According to some sources, this theory is based on the fact that “a road full of atochas or esparto grass, olive groves and cañizares led to the sanctuary of Atocha, where there is a door through which carts full of esparto grass entered the city, with which the artisans of Madrid used to make baskets, baskets, ropes and esparto paper”.
2. another name change?
Don’t panic: Atocha is still the same Atocha we know, but the metro stop of the same name (on suburban line 1) has been renamed Estación del Arte, referring to the main museums to which the station leads: Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza.
The Metro stop next to it, which until recently bore the name of Atocha Renfe has also changed its name to Atocha, after discarding other possibilities such as Atocha-Constitución del 78.
3. And another change, as a tribute
It has recently been announced that Spain’s most emblematic train station will change its name, if all goes according to plan, before the end of the year, changing its name to atocha station Almudena Grandes.
The change is justified in line with a new strategy aimed at “naming major railway stations after women”, which has already been implemented with the case of the station at Chamartín Clara Campoamor. And now Atocha will pay tribute to one of the most important writers of this century, died in the last stages of last year.
4. An impressive facade with no door (so far)
The station is built diagonally to the Carlos V traffic circle, so the main access is on one side of the station. But why is it crooked? The answer is simple: the trains could not turn around the square, so the station was adapted to its tracks. This also explains why Atocha is below street level: the trains could not climb such a steep grade in such a short distance.
However, the remodeling works will convert the historic marquee at the main entrance of the station.
5. Its tropical greenhouse has more than 500 animal and plant species
It is the main focus of instagramers and nature lovers, and it is hard not to take a picture of it from the top floor. But surely you didn’t know that it has such a complete and diverse ecosystem, made up of 7 ,000 plants of 260 different species. However, its main tenants moved out some time ago….
6. Atocha turtles have moved to Navas del Rey
Although we all loved to spend time watching them swim and sunbathe, the Atocha tortoises have had no choice but to find a new home.
The tortoise population was growing out of control as people were abandoning their pets in the middle of the garden. To improve their quality of life, the animals have been transferred to the José Peña Wildlife Center .
7. Tower of Babel changes location
The monument to the victims of the terrorist attacks of March 11, 2004, located in the vicinity of Atocha since 2007, keeps something unexpected inside: a wall full of condolences in several languages written by anonymous citizens after the attacks.
On the occasion of the works of metro Line 11 extension this monument will leave its current location to change it for another that is still unknown, although the Department of Transport and Infrastructures declared to 20 minutes that it will be in the surroundings of the lobby and “will be incorporated into the life of the passengers”.
8. Jason Bourne was here
Atocha became a movie star in The Bourne Ultimatum, where it served as the setting for the agent played by Matt Damon. In the same film also made a cameo in other iconic places in Madrid such as the Paseo de la Castellana, the Plaza de Canalejas and the viaduct of Bailén street.
9. Two giant babies guard the station
Their heads, specifically. These are “Day” and “Night”, two large sculptures created by the artist Antonio López. Although they represent the sculptor’s granddaughter when she was very young, both statues are three meters tall since they were born.
10. It was a makeshift jail
During the Civil War, Atocha ceased to be a station to assume the role of “checa”, one of the prisons set up by the Republican side in the middle of the war.
11. It has the largest clock in the city, although nobody believes it
no, it is not in Puerta del Sol! The largest Reloj is in Madrid’s main station. It’s better not to proclaim it too much out there, lest at this point they change the tradition of the New Year’s Eve Bells.
Now that you know some of its most hidden intimacies, you will surely stop to look at Atocha station with different eyes, although you will still find as beautiful as ever!