ROYAL PALACE OF MADRID

Description

Essentials about the Royal Palace of Madrid in brief

The Palacio Real (Royal Palace) is probably the most impressive building in Madrid. The Madrid city palace is still the official residence of the Spanish royal family, but is no longer inhabited by the king and his family. Instead, visitors may majestically walk through the magnificent rooms of the Royal Palace and visit, among other things, the impressive Royal Weapons Collection and the no less impressive historic kitchen of the palace.

The history of the Royal Palace of Madrid

Long before Madrid became the capital of Spain, a Moorish castle existed on the site of today’s Royal Palace. King Charles I and his son Philip II made the fortress the permanent residence of the monarchs. On Christmas Eve in 1734, the residence was destroyed in a major fire, making a new building necessary.

Spain was then in a long period of decline: revenues from the colonies were drying up and the War of the Spanish Succession destabilized the country. The war had brought the Bourbons to power and the still young royal house wanted to demonstrate its strength by building a new palace. Throughout Europe, princes adorned themselves with Baroque splendor. King Philip V wanted a building on a par with the Escorial of the Habsburgs and commissioned Juan Bautista Sachetti with the new construction, who together with Francisco de Sabatini built the four-winged complex between 1734 and 1764. In 1764, King Charles III and his family moved into the first rooms in the new palace.

The complex of the Royal Palace of Madrid

The Royal Palace of Madrid is one of the largest palaces of its time and houses around 2,000 halls, salons and cabinets. Among the most remarkable rooms are the Throne Room with a ceiling painted by Tiepolo, the mighty staircase with more than 70 steps, the Halberd Room, the Gallery of Mirrors, the Royal Pharmacy with many historic cabinets and vessels, and the Royal Chapel, which includes a collection of string instruments by the legendary Antonio Stradivari.

The Spanish royal family no longer lives in the palace, but in the far more modest Zarzuela Palace northwest of Madrid. The large ceremonial halls of the Royal Palace are now only used for representational purposes and state receptions. For this reason, parts of the palace are open to the public.

The interiors are decorated in a variety of styles, there are halls that transition from Baroque to Classicism, and the old Moorish tradition is also revived in some forms. Since the palace is nowadays also used as a museum, there are also paintings by great masters such as Caravaggio, Goya, Rubens, Tiepolo and Velázquez. The collections of weapons are also among the largest in the world.

The Court of Honor

Inspired by Bernini’s plans for the construction of the Louvre in Paris, the building is laid out around a square courtyard with a gallery and weapons square, where the main facade of the palace is located. The courtyard is entered through the “Puerta del Príncipe” (“Prince’s Gate”). Above a rusticated first floor rise the high baroque facades, decorated with colossal pilasters, crowning vases and statues. The gallery wings of the Court of Honor are 19th-century extensions, and the rear facade of the palace is dominated by the dome of the palace chapel.

The Royal Armory

A visit to the Royal Palace is highly recommended, especially for weapons enthusiasts and amateur chefs, as the Royal Arms Collection (Real Armería) and the kitchen of the Royal Palace are probably the most interesting rooms besides the state rooms. The Real Armería is considered one of the most important collections of its kind. It displays weapons and armor of the Spanish royal family since the 13th century.

The Palace Kitchen

The kitchen of the Royal Palace, which has been preserved to this day, is one of the best examples of the historic kitchen of a European royal residence in terms of the size, condition of the facilities and scope of its equipment. The premises with their completely preserved historical facilities extend over an entire side complex of the first basement floor.

La Almudena Cathedral

Across the Royal Palace’s Court of Honor is Almudena Cathedral. Although the church gives the impression of being one with the Royal Palace of Madrid, it is much younger than Palacio Real. The construction of the cathedral was started only at the end of the 19th century and completed at the beginning of the 20th century.

The gardens surrounding the Royal Palace of Madrid

To the west of the Royal Palace is the large palace park Campo del Moro, which offers beautiful views of the royal palace. The most beautiful part of the royal park are the Sabatini Gardens, which adjoin the Royal Palace directly to the north. They have been open to the public since 1978.