In Madrid, there are metro stations that simply transport passengers from point A to point B. And there are some where it’s worth getting out, if only to look around. Tirso de Molina station is just one of them. It is not a point on the city’s subway map but a corner where architecture, history, and urban mythology are intertwined.
Welcome to La Latina
The station connects the famous La Latina neighborhood to the rest of Madrid. And here, it’s all about the exit. Turn towards Plaza de Tirso de Molina and you’ll find yourself in the center of city life, near the Cascorro and Cebada squares. Turn onto Magdalena Street and there it is, the Nuevo Apolo Theater. And if you head towards Lavapies, you’ll find yourself in the most colorful and multicultural part of the city. Tirso de Molina seems to know how to please everyone.
Few people realize that even before the station opened in 1921, this was the site of La Merced Monastery. And even earlier, in the XVII century, the playwright Gabriel Telles, better known under the pseudonym Tirso de Molina, lived and worked here. The station was named after him in 1939. Today, his monument stands in the square of the same name, as if watching the bustle from above.
An architectural Gem Underground
If there were a ranking of the most beautiful Madrid metro stations, Tirso de Molina would definitely be in the top. It’s not just an ordinary station. It’s an underground exhibition hall where architecture and art meet the city’s everyday hustle and bustle.
It was designed by Antonio Palacios, the same architect who gave Madrid many architectural and engineering masterpieces of the 20th century. He did not go the way of templates and standard solutions. Instead of boring concrete tunnels, here is a space full of light and details. Take a look at the details, and you will understand why this station is called an underground gallery:
- Snow-white tiles with beveled edges that reflect light and create a sense of airiness even underground.
- Toledo ceramic friezes decorated with flecks of gold and copper add warmth and visual richness.
- The vaulted ceiling, designed as if it were not a subway station but an ancient gallery.
- Madrid’s historic coat of arms, made of ceramic with a metallic sheen, seems to watch every visitor.
By the way, the coat of arms did not arrive by accident. Originally, it decorated the Cuatro Caminos station, which opened under King Alfonso XIII in 1919. Later, it was moved to Tirso de Molina as a reminder of the times when the metro was a symbol of progress and pride for the city.
This station offers a unique chance to be in turn-of-the-century Madrid, a city that valued not only speed but also beauty.
A Mystery You Can’t Cover
It’s hard to imagine, but when the station was being laid, the builders came across human remains. The explanation is simple: the monastery used to bury dead monks right on its grounds. Nobody knew exactly what to do with the bones. The solution was unexpected: the remains were bricked into the walls of the station, and neatly laid tiles on top.
And then the strange thing started. Passengers appeared, claiming to have heard moans as the train passed through the station. Some spoke of draughts, some of superstition. But the legend was already born.
The Last Train and the Woman with the Dead Look
Now brace yourself: the darkest story about Tirso de Molina sounds like the
plot for a Spanish horror movie. According to legend, a young woman was once riding in the last carriage. In addition to her, there was an old woman and two men. The old woman kept her eyes on her. The young woman felt alarmed.
At the next station, a stranger entered the carriage, sat down beside her, and whispered:
—Don’t turn around. Don’t look at her face. Come out with me at the next one.
Frightened, she obeyed. It was only as she stepped out that she heard:
—I’m a medium. The woman in the train car is dead. And two men were holding her down.
Of course, the story sounds like a tourist scare, but… Isn’t that the kind of story that gives a station a soul?
What’s This Station Hiding?
You can walk by and not see anything special. But if you stop, look around, listen, Tirso de Molina starts to talk. About how theater and history live alongside the subway. How ceramics can hold memories. How ghosts may not be fiction, but just part of the city’s culture.
So next time you find yourself in Madrid, try getting off at this station. Not for a transfer. But just to stand, look around… and maybe hear something special.