Puerta del Sol LGTBI+ Memorial

The bronze plaque set into the pavement of Puerta del Sol at the northeast corner of the square marks the historic starting point of Spain's first Pride march. On 26 June 1977 — eight months after the death of Franco's successor Adolfo Suárez was elected in Spain's first free elections — approximately 5,000 people gathered at Puerta del Sol behind a banner reading *"Frente Homosexual de Acción Revolucionaria"* for the country's first LGBTQ+ demonstration. The march ended in police charges at Callao; several arrests followed. The plaque was installed by the Ayuntamiento de Madrid on 26 June 2019 — the 42nd anniversary of the march — as part of a broader municipal recognition of the 40+ years of Spanish LGBTQ+ political history since Franco. It's a bronze rectangle set flush into the pavement, roughly 1 metre by 2 metres, with a raised inscription in Spanish acknowledging *"the courage of those who marched here in 1977"*. A small QR code beside the plaque links to the Ayuntamiento's public history archive of the march. The plaque is one of only a handful of European monuments marking a specific Pride march as historical event rather than an annual celebration. Its placement at Puerta del Sol — Madrid's civic centre, the "kilometre zero" of Spain's national road network — deliberately places Spain's queer history at the country's literal centre. Free, 24/7 pedestrian access. Sol metro is directly beneath. On any Madrid sightseeing day this is a five-minute stop between the Palacio Real and the Prado. The MADO parade route (which starts at Puerta de Alcalá and finishes at Plaza de España) passes 300 metres north.