commemorative plaque to Carmen Conde

The commemorative plaque to Carmen Conde in Madrid is mounted on the facade of the building at Calle Ferraz 67, in the Moncloa-Aravaca district. It marks the home of a writer who lived there for decades and holds a special place in the history of Spanish literature.

Who was Carmen Conde?

Carmen Conde was born in Cartagena in 1907 and died in Madrid in 1996. She was a poet, playwright and prose writer, and one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Spanish literature. In 1979 she became the first woman ever admitted to the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy), the institution that governs the Spanish language and had previously been open only to men. Her admission was a landmark moment for women's standing in Spain's cultural and academic life.

Why is the plaque on Calle Ferraz 67?

The address is not incidental. Carmen Conde moved into this building — then numbered 71, on the sixth floor — in 1949, together with her husband, the writer Antonio Oliver. The flat was their shared home until Oliver's death in 1968, after which Conde continued to live there on her own until 1992, when illness forced her to relocate to Majadahonda, just outside Madrid. In other words, the building was her home for more than four decades, a period that produced much of her literary output.

Where does the plaque come from?

The plaque was unveiled in 2013 as part of the city's Plan Memoria de Madrid programme. The initiative marks building facades across the city to highlight sites tied to significant historical events and homes of people who left a lasting mark on Madrid's culture and history. Similar plaques appear at many addresses around the city, each giving a brief account of who lived there and why it matters.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

Calle Ferraz sits close to Plaza de España and Parque del Oeste, making this stretch of Moncloa-Aravaca an easy add-on to a walk through central Madrid. The Montaña Barracks site and viewpoints over Casa de Campo are also nearby, so visitors can pair a stop at the plaque with a longer walk through the western part of the city.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the plaque located? On the facade of the building at Calle Ferraz 67, in Madrid's Moncloa-Aravaca district.

Who was Carmen Conde and what was she known for? A Spanish poet, playwright and writer born in Cartagena in 1907. In 1979 she became the first woman elected to the Real Academia Española.

Why was the plaque placed at this particular address? Because Carmen Conde lived in this building from 1949 to 1992 — first with her husband, Antonio Oliver, and alone after his death.

Is the plaque part of a wider project? Yes. It was installed in 2013 under Plan Memoria de Madrid, a city initiative marking homes and sites significant to Madrid's history.