Banco de España

The Banco de España, located in the heart of Madrid, is the headquarters of the most important financial institution in the country.

The building of the Banco de España is located the beginning of Calle Alcalá, on the left, at the corner of Paseo del Prado. The oldest part of this colossal building, facing Plaza de Cibeles, was built between 1882 and 1891. The Bank contains a spectacular library and reading room for researchers with a collection of more than 350,000 works.

During the 20th century three expansions were made in the building. The most recent expansion was carried out in 2006 and designed by the architect Rafael Moneo. Each architect respected the original design of the building.

Inside the building, 30 meters below the surface, is the place where the bank holds its gold. Before the installation of modern security systems, the space was prepared to be flooded by water from the Fuente de Cibeles in case of emergency.

The building also has important works of art by authors like Goya, Sorolla, Mengs and Maella, as well as sculptures and photographs.

The interior of the Bank of Spain can only be visited by academic institution groups.

Practical information about the Banco De España

The nearest subway station is Banco de España on line 2 (red).

You can see the Banco de España if you follow either walk 2 or walk 5 of my ‘Madrid In 9 Walks’ guide.