El Rastro de Madrid or simply el Rastro is the most popular open air flea market in Madrid (Spain). It is held every Sunday and public holiday during the year and is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo (just south of La Latina metro station).
A great variety of products (new and used) can be found at el Rastro. A number of antique shops in the local area are also open on Sunday.
El Rastro means "the trail". The market probably owes its name to the tanneries that were once located in Ribera de Curtidores (Ribera de Curtidores means 'riverside of tanners'). Close by, on the banks of the Manzanares River, was an abattoir. Transporting the slaughtered cattle from the abbatoir to the tannery left a trail (rastro) of blood along the street. An alternative etymology suggests el Rastro once meant “outside”, referring to the fact el Rastro was once outside the jurisdiction of the mayor’s court.
According to municipal rules, el Rastro takes place every Sunday and public holiday of the year, from 9 am to 3 pm, in the barrio de Embajadores ('Ambassador’s district') in the Central District of Madrid. The Madrid town council regulates the markets. A maximum of 3500 stalls cover the area from the Plaza de Cascorro, with its statue dedicated to Eloy Gonzalo, in the north, along the main thoroughfare of Ribera de Curtidores and adjoining streets to Calle Embajadores in the east and the Ronda de Toledo and Plaza del Campillo del Mundo Nuevo in the south.
According to the German writer Hans Magnus Enzensberger, el Rastro is the final border between Europe and Africa, comprised of diverse peoples from different countries and of differing ethnicities all searching for curiosities or bargains, sightseeing, sampling the gastronomic delights of Madrid or simply soaking up the atmosphere. Traditionally, the wares for sale are items not available in shops or malls, such as antiques, rarities, curiosities.
El Rastro website
