Madrid - Plaza del Emperador Carlos V

The southern end of the Paseo del Prado is formed by the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V with the Estación de Atocha, the city's southern railroad station, which gets its name from a 16th C. Dominican monastery. The iron and steel construction, built in 1891 to plans by Alberto del Palacio Elissague, replaces a previous smaller building. The former station halls are in the process of renovation, with a simple rotunda of brick and glass (architect: Rafael Moneo) serving as the new station entrance.

To the south of the Botanic Gardens on the eastern side of the square is the Agricultural Ministery (Ricardo Velázquez Bosco; 1897). On the opposite side of the Plaza del Emperador, set back slightly, is the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.