Which historic clock in Madrid leads Spain's televised New Year's Eve grape countdown?

The clock of Madrid’s Real Casa de Correos leads Spain’s televised New Year’s Eve grape countdown.

The Real Casa de Correos stands at Puerta del Sol, one of central Madrid’s best-known squares. Its clock is the focus of the midnight “twelve grapes” ritual, during which people eat one grape with each of twelve chimes.

The building was designed by French architect Jacques Marquet and constructed in the eighteenth century. It later became the headquarters of Madrid’s regional government, but its clock tower gained a separate cultural role through the nationwide New Year broadcast.

The countdown includes warning sounds before the actual chimes. Viewers who begin eating at the wrong signal can quickly lose the rhythm, which is why Spanish broadcasts carefully present the sequence. Crowds in Puerta del Sol gather beneath the clock, while millions more watch from home.

Madrid is not the only Spanish city with a New Year celebration, and other clocks may be used locally. The nationally iconic countdown, however, is tied to the Real Casa de Correos clock in Puerta del Sol.