Government of the Community of Madrid (Royal House of the Post Office)

The Government of the Community of Madrid (until the statutory reform embodied in Organic Law 5/1998 of July 7, it was called the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid​),​ is the collegiate body that directs the policy of the Community of Madrid (Spain), corresponding to it the executive and administrative functions, as well as the exercise of regulatory power in matters not reserved in the Statute to the Assembly of Madrid.

It is headed by the president of the Community of Madrid, and additionally includes the appointed vice presidents and consejeros (cabinet ministers).

It has headquarters in the Royal House of the Post Office at Puerta del Sol, 7, MadridCommunity of MadridSpain.

The Real Casa de Correos (Royal Post Office) is a building located in the Centro district. Its construction dates back to the end of the second half of the 18th century, and it is the oldest building in the Puerta del Sol. The best known feature of its architecture is the clock that exists in a turret raised on its roof. This centuries-old clock takes center stage once a year on the night of December 31 due to the chimes that mark the ritual of the twelve grapes.

In front of the main door of the building you can see a historical plaque on kilometer zero (origin of the radial roads and the numbering of the streets of Madrid). The building has served multiple functions throughout history, and is currently the headquarters of the presidency of the Community of Madrid. It is located on the corner of Calle del Correo, Calle de San Ricardo (named in honor of the Hospital de Tísicos located nearby), as well as Calle de Carretas. The surrounding buildings are the Casa Cordero and the Real Casa de Postas.

History

In the 17th century there were some thirty two-storey houses in the area currently occupied by the Royal House of the Post Office. In the 1750s the area was cleared as part of the development of the Puerta del Sol square. A plan for a head post office was produced by the Spanish architect Ventura Rodríguez Tizón. However, Ventura Rodríguez, who enjoyed the patronage of Ferdinand VI, lost favour when Charles III of Spain came to the throne in 1760. The House of the Post Office was designed by the architect Jaime Marquet from France. Work on the building began in the late 1760s.

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