Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain Aug 29, 2025

Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain

Seen from above, the uniform arcades and tiled rooftops of Plaza Mayor in Madrid—the capital of Spain—create a captivating architectural harmony. Once the site of a bustling market square known as the Plaza del Arrabal, this historic space has witnessed the city"s transformation over the centuries. The shift began in 1561, when the plaza came under Madrid"s jurisdiction after the royal court moved from Toledo. Inspired by a vision of order and grandeur, King Philip II reimagined the square—though construction did not actually begin until 1617, under the reign of Philip III.

© AirPano LLC/Amazing Aerial Agency

palette

Today in History

Aug 29, 2018A spectacle unlike any other
Aug 29, 2019Greetings from Asbury Park
Aug 29, 2020Big wheels on a big mountain
Aug 29, 2021Notes from an underground lake
Aug 29, 2022Baltic Sea, Estonia
Aug 29, 2023American bison, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Aug 29, 2024Castellfollit de la Roca, Catalonia, Spain

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 25, 2023World Penguin Day
Mar 4, 2020A different kind of dive
Mar 29, 2020The borrowed days are here
Nov 26, 2022World Olive Tree Day
Nov 18, 2023Polar bear season in Manitoba
Nov 29, 2022Giving Tuesday
Nov 18, 2021Bohemian Switzerland
Feb 4, 2025Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
May 27, 2022Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Aug 19, 2020Freeze frame
Feb 28, 2023Atrani, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Dec 10, 2018Feeling crabby?
Dec 4, 2018A viewer with a view
May 21, 2023Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
Jul 15, 2020Who left the tub running?
Mar 6, 2019Dreaming of the Tyrrhenian Sea
Mar 13, 2019A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
Jun 7, 2020A hermitage with a view
Mar 31, 2021Paradise, found
Jan 3, 2024J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Aug 9, 2025International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Jun 11, 2022Misool Island, Indonesia
Mar 20, 2020Heron lies the Salton Sea
Nov 17, 2019Remembering the Velvet Revolution
Mar 3, 2021Climb a tree for wild animals and plants
May 2, 2022Pamukkale, Turkey
Sep 12, 2022Chestnut-eared aracari in the Pantanal, Brazil
Mar 25, 2019Greece celebrates its independence
Jun 23, 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sep 22, 2021What s cuter than nuzzling rhinos?