This massive 1884 building, Spain's central bank, takes up an entire block. It's said that part of the nation's gold reserves are held in vaults that stretch under the Plaza de la Cibeles traffic circle all the way to the fountain. (Some reserves are also stored in Fort Knox, in the United States.) The bank is not open to visitors, but the architecture is worth viewing. If you can dodge traffic well enough to reach the median strip in front of it, the fountain and palaces with the Puerta de Alcalá arch in the background make a lovely photo.
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