Plaza de Emilio Jiménez Millas

Few Madrileños know that this open square beside Calle de la Princesa carries a person’s name. To everyone it’s the Plaza de los Cubos, and the nickname always wins. The official name honors Emilio Jiménez Millas, born in Madrid in 1915, one of the first members of the Falange Española. During the Civil War he took part in the defense of the Cuartel de la Montaña and later flew with Franco’s air force. After that came a long career of posts, up to a seat on Madrid’s city council. The nickname came from a real-estate venture. Around 1972, the developers of the blocks around the square held a sculpture competition. Gustavo Torner won it with a composition of metal cubes spilling toward an underground staircase. People looked at the pieces, named them their own way, and the sculptor beat the politician. Today the square lives off its cinemas and terraces; toward the real sign, almost no one looks up.