Madrid · ES

Pl. de Herradores

Plaza de Herradores is one of Madrid's smallest and most quietly storied squares, tucked a few metres from the Plaza Mayor in the old Habsburg quarter known as the Madrid de los Austrias. Its name—roughly “Blacksmiths' Square”—comes from the herradores, the farriers who once set up their benches in the middle of the plaza to shoe the city's horses and mules, until the noise and crowds of animals became such a nuisance that the town council moved them elsewhere. Today it is a pocket-size plaza where half a dozen narrow streets meet, more a landmark of curiosities than a place to linger for an hour: a plaque marking the first “taxis” of Madrid, a long-running artisan bakery, a century-old junk-shop, and a corner of culinary history. It is best discovered as a quick, rewarding stop on a walk between Calle Mayor and the Arenal.