Talkin’ Spain: Madrid’s Oso y Madroño

Brian's Spain Domain

Aug 19 2025 | 00:09:33

00:00 / 00:09:33

Show Notes

“El Oso y el Madroño” in English translates to “The Bear and the Strawberry Tree“. It is the official symbol of Madrid, represented by a bronze statue in the Puerta del Sol. The statue depicts a bear standing on its hind legs, reaching for the fruit of a strawberry tree. The bear and strawberry tree symbol has been part of Madrid’s coat of arms since at least the 13th century. There are a few theories about the origin of the symbol, including the idea that there were many bears in the surrounding forests and that the strawberry tree was a […]

Other Episodes

Episode 0

September 05, 2021 • 00:20:32

Kings and Killers: The assassination attempts of Alfonso XII and Alfonso XIII

The photo you see for this podcast just may be the first image in history of a terrorist attack in progress. It happened in...

Episode 0

October 15, 2023 • 00:20:22

The Balmis Expedition: The world’s first international healthcare mission

Back in 1803, Spain organized a mission to inoculate the inhabitants of its vast empire from the deadly disease smallpox. It was officially known...

Episode

July 29, 2025 • 00:16:48

Talkin’ Spain 2: More Aragon. Huesca, Loarre, Borja (Ecce Homo), Tarazona

Hi everyone. Here’s a little more about a recent trip through parts of Aragon. Here, we continue with Huesca, Castle of Loarre, Zaragoza, Borja...