Arco Del Triunfo

The Arco de la Victoria, also known as the Puerta de Moncloa, is a neoclassical triumphal arch in Madrid's Moncloa district. The 49-meter-high (161-foot) structure was built on Franco's orders to commemorate the victory of Franco's troops in the Battle of Ciudad Universitaria during the Spanish Civil War. That makes it the only victory monument of its kind standing directly on the former battlefield. The historical significance of the site is underscored by the Latin inscriptions, which refer both to the military victory and to the rebuilding of the university after its destruction in the war.

Architecturally, the arch rests on a rectangular base and is supported by two flanking structures. You can reach the upper levels by marble staircases or elevators, where a central exhibition space with viewing points is located, although it was never officially used. The architectural ensemble is shaped by the sculptural work of Moisés de Huerta and his son Rafael Huerta. The frieze reliefs show forty allegorical figures, representing military virtues on one side and academic disciplines such as literature, science, and art on the other. At the top sits a chariot with the winged Minerva, created by Ramón Arregui Sagarzazu, which gives the monument its additional height.

After the war, the project was postponed for a long time and completed in 1956, without any official inauguration. In recent years, the monument suffered from neglect and vandalism. An agreement signed in 2023 between the city administration and the Complutense University now provides for a comprehensive restoration to make the arch accessible to the public again. There is also discussion of renaming the monument Arco de la Concordia, which would also be reflected in the name of the adjacent street.