Calle de Preciados is possibly the most famous shopping street in all Spain. There is not a single person that has not gone shopping in the centre of Madrid and has not strolled along it. Its excellent location makes calle de Preciados be regarded as one of the best streets in the capital city, if not the very best of all, in which to have a business.

In order to get an idea of how much it is sought-after, we only have to consider a fact: it is the fifth street in all the world where rental is the highest. Calle de Preciados starts in Puerta del Sol, goes to Plaza de Callao and ends in Plaza de Santo Domingo, meaning that it is always busy and bustling with crowds of people. When the Christmas period approaches, there are so many people walking along it that it is sometimes very difficult to make one´s way through.

At the present time, it continues to be one of the favourite places for visitors who come to Madrid, being also one of the most famous streets in the capital city and without it the city centre would not be the same. But, what was Calle de Preciados like decades ago? How has this street changed throughout the years? Do you know about its past and its history? Today, we will look back at the past. Some time ago, we wrote an article about the 1920s, half a century ago. This time we will travel back into the past of Calle de Preciados. Do you want to join us?

A STREET LINKED TO COMMERCE

The origin of the name of Calle de Preciados comes from the surname of two brothers who built their houses in this street and who were famous for their work. They were both civil servants, and in the XV century they were in charge of checking and controlling the weights and measures of the merchants as well as the hygiene of the products that were sold, and in addition, imposing the appropriate fines if these did not comply with the established regulations. All this means that practically from the first this street was linked to commerce.

Proof of it is that in the second half of the XIX century, in Calle de Preciados there was a currency exchange house, Centro Numismático Matritense: undoubtedly this being a significant detail of the commercial activity that took place there. With regard to the commercial activity of this busy street, we must mention two shopping centres that form part of the history of Spain. One of them is El Corte Inglés which since 1939 has its oldest and best-known premises in number 3, Calle de Preciados. The other shopping centre is the extinct Galerías Preciados which opened its doors in 1943 and lasted till 1995 when it was bought by El Corte Inglés itself.

AN ORPHANAGE AND A HISTORIC CAFÉ

Calle de Preciados is a busy and bustling street full of shops and trendy establishments that have kept changing throughout the years. Nonetheless, we want to stop by two singular premises, one of which no longer exists but the other one remains in place nowadays. The first one is Casa de Expósitos (House of Children Abandoned at Birth), which was founded at the end of the XVI century. These premises functioned as an orphanage to take in the babies that were abandoned in the capital city. This building was pulled down when the renovation works of Puerta del Sol took place in the XIX century.

The second place we want to mention is one of the premises that are part of the history and the memory of Madrid and which still remain open nowadays. We are referring to the historic Café Varela which is located in number 37, Calle de Preciados. With complete certainty, we can say that it is one of the most emblematic cafés in Madrid. In this café, literary gatherings were held and outstanding figures in the world of culture attended, as for instance, Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, León Felipe or the Machado brothers.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

In the olden times, a large part of Calle de Preciados was owned by the Kings of Castile. There, they had a country house where they used to spend their rest periods.