The most beautiful of the many grand
squares in Madrid is the Plaza de Cibeles. The heavily trafficed square is
surrounded by majestic buildings.
The most prominent of the buildings
at the Plaza de Cibeles is the
Palacio de Comunicaciones
or Communications Palace. The cathedral-like landmark
was built between 1905 and 1917 by Antonio Palacios
as the headquarters of the post office. Inside the impressive
building is the

Postal
and Telegraphic Museum, which displays the history of
the postal system, from the 18th century postal pigeons
to the modern communication satellites.
Across the Paseo de
Prado from the Palacio de Comunicaciones is the
Banco
de España, Spain's central bank headquarters.
The oldest part of the enormous building, bordering
the Cibeles square, was built between 1882 and 1891.
It was later expanded in 1936 and again in 1975. Inside,
30m below the surface is an area where the central bank

stores
its gold. Before modern security was installed, the
room was flooded in case of danger.