It's TRUE! I witnessed it just this morning. Madrid's city symbol, "El Oso y el Madroño" statue (The Bear & the Berry Tree), was removed today where Calle del Carmen meets the Puerta del Sol after 25 years in that location.

For now, the statue is "on vacation" until Friday when it will be "re-planted" in its new location. I'm writing a blog entry about it now and will include its link here in the next couple of hours - AS WELL AS PHOTOS!

Saludos, MadridMan

Cool!
I was wondering when this was going to happen.

Look forward to the pic's.

It's too late to write the blog entry now but will - FOR SURE - do it tomorrow/Wednesday. I got caught up with work and emails.

Also, VERY SOON, they're replacing the 50-something-year-old plaque of Kilometro 0 with a "replica".

Saludos, MadridMan

Today's the day! It's Friday and the "Oso y el Madroño" statue is being re-inaugurated TODAY!! And I'll be there!

I'm watching TeleMadrid this morning to find out the hour at which I need to be there to see it. Later today, HOPEFULLY, I'll combine this information (and photos!) with the experience of last Tuesday and post a blog entry about it all.

Saludos, MadridMan

WELL, CRAP!! It's happening RIGHT NOW! No warning was given, no hour, no fanfare or inauguration, the crane is lowering it to its pedestal right now on TeleMadrid as I type this.

So the location of "below the Tío Pepe sign" isn't correct either, apparently. I see the Oso y el Madroño statue is being put down where Calle de Alcalá meets Puerta del Sol, just below the building housing the Hostal Puerta del Sol.

Let's see if I can shower, shave, and get downtown NOW for the "attachment" of the statue. Ugh!

Saludos, MadridMan

And the statue "la mariblanca" opposite, nice the puerta de el sol, there represents venus Roman goddess, who in madrid is called "la mariblanca"

So the Oso y el Madroño statue is in its place on the PUERTA DEL SOL, NEAR where the Calle de Alcalá meets SOL and passes in front of the Tío Pepe sign. (not sure why they have traffic passing through there, though) RTVE interviewed (audio only) me about the statue, asking me what I thought about its new location. I said something like, "Well, I don't really see the point. At least 'over there' is pedestrian. Here, we have buses and taxis passing just behind us and I can imagine problems with tourists having their photos taken below the statue while those TAKING the photos are backing up into the street.

I too waited around for the placement of the "Mariblanca" replica but got impatient after 20 minutes waiting. It was right there next to its pilar, still wrapped up and on the back of the truck awaiting.... something. I'll go back someday and take more photos of it.

Saludos, MadridMan - writing blog entry now...

See the Madrid Blog entry with photos about today's re-location of Madrid's El Oso y el Madroño statue in the Puerta del Sol.

Still quite a bit of finishing-up to be done in the Puerta del Sol but I can see they're close.

Saludos, MadridMan

Watch my Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 video of the Oso y el Madroño up on the crane:



Saludos, MadridMan

Ahhh marvelous shot, thanks for sharing it. I guess it will be more visible there, a nice landmark of Madrid or as Madrid as anything else.
something to plan go back to Madrid for. ALthough for me needs to wait go on business trip for a few months to Africa.

Thanks for the blog entry.

When you say they're close to being done, do you think weeks or months?

I'm hoping it's done by mid-October.

I'd love to see Sol finished after all these years. I mean, it was cool for a while but ALL my trip photos are of a construction site

There's no telling. It's quite possible they'll be done by mid-October. It looks, to me, that the bulk of the work yet to be done is put down the paving stones.

Hope you get lucky and they're done by the time you arrive! Wouldn't that be lucky!?

Saludos, MadridMan

This morning on Telemadrid's morning show they've interviewed a perfume shop and the manager of the Hotel Europa terraza IF many people have asked "Where has the Bear statue gone?" Of course, the answer is: LOTS!

Surely MANY people have thought to sit down at the terraza of Hotel Europa to have the perfect "Puerta del Sol view" of the Calle del Carmen, El Oso y el Madroño statue, the horse-riding King Carlos III, fountains, and the Comunidad de Madrid building in the background. Now, this view lacks Madrid's city symbol and lots of people whom have seen photos of this perspective are left wanting.

Saludos, MadridMan

A nice webcam image of the Puerta del Sol last night including a silhouette of "El Oso" as well as the illuminated "Pez de Cristal" station:

The new Kilometro Cero showed up this weekend also. They had it blocked off with barriers. It drew quite a crowd.

Errr... How did YOU know it drew quite a crowd?? ARE/WERE YOU IN MADRID?! Uh-HUH! Uh-HUH!

But you're right. The replacement of the plaque happened the same day as the relocation of the bear statue. They'd surrounded the plaque for much of the week to let the cement dry.

Yeah, I was there for few days. I arrived home on Monday night.
I would see it on my daily walk from Hostal Adriano (the original is still my favorite!) to Bar Sol y Mayor on c/Postas to visit my friend Pepe.

The trip over was awful, after getting diverted to Dublin on the way over due weather in Atlanta, being 9 hous late and having my bags lost for 3 days. But I had a great final meal at Portobello, several wonderful lunches at El Ingenio and lots of great tapas.

Mongo .. you definitely have to get in touch when you´re over next time !

Maybe in December!

I purchased a book of Madrid photos in Vips. The title of the book is "Madrid Guia Visual" and the editor is Javier Rodriquez. The book is written in Spanish with the "en coloboracion con Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Patronato Municipal de Turismo." The book contains about 75 photos of important places in Madrid, for example, statues, buildings, etc.

To my surprise the photo of "El Oso y el Madrono" was not in the book. Why was this important statue of Madrid not included, oversight or intentional. Could it have been the location of where "El Oso y el Madrono" was before being moved.

Probably they knew the statue was to be moved and the publication date of the book would confuse readers if they showed the former location. Makes sense to me. You'd think they could've at least given an outline/cutout of the statue without its background.

Saludos, MadridMan

Joe and I may have been among the last to see it in its OLD location last week! My gosh...how we love Madrid!!

P.S. We found a t-shirt for our grandson that has the Madrid logo (the bear and the berry tree). I was thrilled with this "find" at the Rastro. (And I'm sure I paid too much for it but who cares.)

Carole Chiaro