Monumento al Dos de Mayo
Móstoles holds a singular place in European history: it was here, on 2 May 1808, that the town's mayor Andrés Torrejón issued one of the first calls to arms against Napoleon's invading forces. The monument and its surrounding square turn that electric moment into stone and civic pride.
The Story in the Square
The neoclassical obelisk at Plaza del Pradillo stands as a quiet but powerful reminder that a small town can change the course of a war. Local legend calls the proclamation 'the first declaration of war by a municipality in history', and plaques around the base lay out the full dramatic story in Spanish and English.
Every 2 May the square fills with period-costume re-enactors, brass bands and schoolchildren waving Spanish flags — if your visit coincides with the anniversary, don't miss it for anything.
Exploring the Surrounding Old Town
The monument anchors Móstoles' historic core, a compact grid of 18th-century streets that reward a slow wander. Nearby Calle Canónigos is lined with low whitewashed houses typical of old Castilian towns, a striking contrast to the modern city that has grown up around them.
Pop into the adjacent Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, a solid 16th-century parish church whose carved stone doorway is one of the finest examples of Plateresque work in the southern Madrid region.
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