Work on the future Alcalá Boulevard, designed to connect Cibeles with the Puerta de Alcalá and create more space for pedestrians, has unearthed more than just asphalt: beneath the modern layers, a piece of 20th-century Madrid has emerged that had been buried for decades. These are the old cobblestones and the former tram tracks that surrounded the monument when it was not an isolated monumental roundabout, but a true traffic and transportation hub of the capital.
The discovery was made in mid-April, when machinery was removing the existing pavement to construct the boulevard’s new surface. Beneath the pavement, sections of the historic cobblestones and the tracks of the old tram that circled the Puerta de Alcalá for much of the 20th century have appeared, just as seen in vintage photos where Alcalá Street displays its cobblestones and cars and trams pass close to the arch.
Sources from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure have confirmed that the discovery was immediately reported to the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid, which must now decide what to do with these remains. In the meantime, construction continues “but without touching the findings,” leaving the big question hanging: will they be preserved in plain sight as part of the new design, or will they be covered up again under the new pavement?
The appearance of the tracks and cobblestones comes in a particularly sensitive area: the Prado–Recoletos–Retiro axis, designated a “Landscape of Light” by UNESCO, where any urban intervention is scrutinized closely due to its impact on heritage. The municipal project already envisioned “restoring part of the historical character” of the area and making the Puerta de Alcalá fully accessible to pedestrians, reducing its status as an isolated monument in a roundabout and bringing it closer to the public with new gathering spaces and pedestrian paths.
What other cities have done with their cobblestones and tracks
The debate over what to do now with these remains is neither new nor unique to Madrid. In other Spanish cities, such as Barcelona and Badajoz, the old cobblestones and traces of historic infrastructure have become heritage and tourist attractions, integrated into the urban landscape rather than hidden away.
In the capital, when the original cobblestones of Gran Vía emerged during construction work in 2018, the dilemma arose as to whether to leave them exposed or cover them up again; ultimately, the decision was made to leave them beneath the new design.
Heritage groups and urban history enthusiasts have already begun calling for at least part of the cobblestones and tracks to be incorporated into the new boulevard as a tangible reminder of the city that once lay beneath our feet.