In the very heart of Madrid, where the lives of locals once thrived, only a few remain today, unwilling to give up their apartments to the pressures of the tourist industry. Mercedes Arnalde Barrera, who recently turned 67, lives on Preciados Street overlooking the famous Puerta del Sol square. Her family settled here before the start of the civil war, and they have never left these walls since, despite all the hardships, including bombings and changing eras.
Now, permanent residents around Sol Square can be counted on one hand. Mercedes, a former doctor, retired at 65 and cannot imagine her life outside the city center. However, the past few years have been a real challenge for her: more and more tourist apartments are appearing around her, and questionable establishments have sprung up in her building, including an illegal hotel and even a brothel on the ground floor. She has repeatedly appealed to the city authorities, but her complaints have gone unanswered.
Mercedes’s neighbors rent out their apartments to visitors, with little regard for the peace of the remaining residents. Noise, constant parties, and the feeling that the neighborhood has become a backdrop for tourists have become routine. The ‘Sol y Letras’ residents’ association tried to draw the authorities’ attention by collecting thousands of signatures, but no real changes have followed.
There is no exact data on the number of tourist apartments in the area, but it is known that their number has risen sharply in recent years. In 2018, city services inspected more than five hundred buildings in the center and found that in some of them, not a single permanent resident remained. Authorities currently acknowledge the existence of 158 such apartments, but according to associations, there are almost a thousand—proof of a complete lack of control.
Mercedes has no intention of leaving her home and is demanding that the authorities tighten inspections, fine violators, and close illegal properties. She has faced pressure and has seen the neighborhood lose its familiar shops and services, giving way to businesses aimed at tourists. Of all the residents, she is the only one using a spot in the new parking lot on Plaza del Carmen.
Mercedes is not the only one fighting for the right to stay. Francisco Leandri and other longtime residents also refuse to give up, despite the noise, parties, and feelings of isolation. City authorities have introduced a plan to limit the growth of tourist apartments, but residents believe the measures are insufficient, while large investors continue buying up entire buildings to rent them out to visitors.
The situation in Sol threatens the very concept of urban community. The district is gradually turning into a tourist showcase, leaving almost no space for locals. Carlota Cuesta, another of the few native residents, has become a symbol of memory and resilience for those unwilling to surrender to the wave of change.
