The Alcalá Gate is a monument in the Plaza de la Independencia in Madrid, Spain, very close to the city center and several meters away from the main entrance to the Parque del Buen Retiro. The square is bisected by Alcalá street, although the street itself doesn't cross through the monument, and it is the origin of the Alfonso XII, Serrano and Olózaga streets. Its name originates from the old path from Madrid to the nearby town of Alcalá de Henares. In 1764 King Carlos III commissioned the Italian architect Sabatini to construct a large gate to replace a small 16th century baroque gate, built by King Philips III.
