The Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree is a 4-meter-tall bronze statue made by the Spanish sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafé (1906-1983). It was ordered by the section of Culture of the City council of Madrid, which wanted to represent the main heraldic symbols of the city and of Spain with a monument. The statue was inaugurated in 1967 and placed here on Plaza Puerta del Sol.
The legend behind the statue
The story of the bear and the strawberry tree dates back to the 13th century. The bear and the strawberry tree came to be the symbol of Madrid due to an agreement between the municipality and the clergy of Madrid. They had been disputing over who was the rightful owner of certain territories that was granted to Madrid by King Alfonso VIII. After 20 years of disputes, they made the agreement to give the pastures to the clergy and the trees to the municipality. The shield of Madrid thus reflects this agreement with the bear representing the clergy and the tree representing the municipality.