Символ Мадрида Symbol of Madrid

Rating 9110

The image of a bear reaching for the fruits of a strawberry tree as a symbol of the Spanish capital appeared in the 11th century, it is present on the coat of arms of Madrid, and since 1967, already in bronze, it has been decorating its central square, Puerta del Sol. The statue was not always in its present place, about four decades ago, when I first visited Madrid, the statue was on the other side of the square - the one that is closer to the building with the clock, which now houses the Government of the capital, and in those years it housed Police Department.

The origin of this symbol is not known for certain, but bears really lived here in those days, and thick-set strawberry trees are found everywhere on the Iberian Peninsula. There are also in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden on the Crimean Peninsula. Their fruits are similar to strawberries, which gave rise to such a name.
Experts, it seems, “British scientists”, claim that the symbol of Madrid is not a bear at all, but a she-bear, but I did not go into such details. I only regretted that there was nowhere to attach a camera for shooting with a self-timer - I definitely want to capture myself near this sculptural composition.