Casa de la Villa

Madrid


The 17th-century Casa de la Villa (old town hall), on the western side of the Plaza de la Villa, is a typical Habsburg edifice with Herrerian slate-tiled spires. First planned as a prison in 1644 by Juan Gómez de Mora, who also designed the Convento de la Encarnación, its granite and brick facade is a study in sobriety.

The final touches to the Casa de la Villa were made in 1693, although Juan de Villanueva, of Museo del Prado fame, made some alterations a century later. The interior was closed to the public at the time of research, which is a real pity as the Salón del Pleno (council chambers) was restored in the 1890s and again in 1986; the decoration is sumptuous neoclassical with late-17th-century ceiling frescoes. Ask at the Centro de Turismo de Madrid to see if guided tours are possible. If they are, look for the ceramic copy of Pedro Teixeira’s landmark 1656 map of Madrid just outside the chambers.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Madrid attractions

1. Plaza de la Villa

0.01 MILES

The intimate Plaza de la Villa is one of Madrid’s prettiest. Enclosed on three sides by wonderfully preserved examples of 17th-century barroco madrileño …

2. Casa de los Lujanes

0.02 MILES

On the opposite side of the square from the Casa de la Villa, the 15th-century Casa de los Lujanes is Gothic in conception with a clear Mudéjar (a Moorish…

3. Casa de Cisneros

0.03 MILES

The plateresque Casa de Cisneros, built in 1537 by the nephew of Cardinal Cisneros, a key adviser to Queen Isabel, was much restored and altered at the…

4. Convento del Corpus Cristi

0.05 MILES

Architecturally nondescript but culturally curious, this church hides behind sober brickwork on the western end of a quiet square. A closed order of nuns…

5. Iglesia de San Nicolás de los Servitas

0.07 MILES

Tucked away up the hill from Calle Mayor, this intimate little church is Madrid’s oldest surviving building of worship; it may have been built on the site…

6. Basílica de San Miguel

0.08 MILES

Hidden away off Calle de Segovia, this basilica is something of a surprise. Its convex, late-baroque facade sits in harmony with the surrounding buildings…

7. Iglesia del Sacramento

0.09 MILES

Just down the hill from the Plaza de la Villa is the 18th-century baroque remake of the Iglesia del Sacramento, the central church of the Spanish army.

8. Palacio del Duque de Uceda

0.12 MILES

Just down the hill from Plaza de la Villa is the 18th-century baroque remake of the Palacio del Duque de Uceda. Now used as a military headquarters (the…