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Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace)
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Hours of Operation: April through September: Monday through Sunday 10am to 8pm (20.00); October through March Monday through Sunday 10am to 6pm (18.00). Closed on January 1, 6; May 1: December 24, 25, 31.
Admission Fees: General 11€; Reduced 6€; children under 5 are free.
Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace, is Madrid's largest building, often considered the most beautiful one, and by far the largest palace in Western Europe. Construction of the palace began in 1734 and it officially opened 1755 but was not fully completed until 1764 when King Carlos III established his residency in the palace.
Built on the exact spot where the Moorish Alcázar once stood, the site has been continuously occupied since the 10th century. A bit of fascinating trivia - the Moors named the Manzanares River flowing through Madrid “al-Magrit” which translates to “the source of water”. Back then the city was known as Mayrit which morphed into Magerit then, finally, into Madrid.
When fire ravaged the Royal Alcázar on Christmas Eve, 1734, King Philips V ordered it replaced with a palace in the tradition of Versailles Palace in Paris where he had spent some of his youth. He decreed that the new royal palace was to be built from limestone and granite to prevent any possibility of fire – a threat throughout much of Spain in those days.
Located on the eastern side of Madrid’s historic district in Barrio Austrias, with Plaza de Oriente just east of the palace, Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral and Teatro Real are mere steps away. An easy five minute walk takes you to City Hall, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Plaza de España and much more. As we cross the Plaza de Oriente coming from the Opera House, the sculptures we see are of Spanish monarchs. They were originally intended to be set on top of the palace but were deemed too heavy and instead placed throughout Plaza de Oriente. The final large square, directly in front of the palace entrance, is Plaza de la Armería.
The palace has a square floor plan with a large central courtyard. Puerta del Príncipe gateway on the east side gives access to the central courtyard and the palace is surrounded by the beautiful Sabatini and Campo del Moro parks.
Initially designed by Filippo Juvarra to accommodate the court of Felipe V, Juan Bautista Sacchetti initiated the building project in 1737 and Francisco Sabatini and Ventura Rodríguez completed the work. Sabatini designed the entire southeast wing and the immense and graceful great staircase that greets visitors upon entry.
With well over 2000 lavishly decorated rooms, fifty odd of which are open to visitors, Palacio Real covers 135,000m2 or an astounding 1,453,100 square feet. All told the Palace has 870 windows, 240 balconies and 44 staircases. To say it is huge is an understatement.
A few absolute must visit rooms are the 400m2 (4305.56 square feet) dining room; the Sala de Porcelana (China Room); the Salón del Trono (Throne Room) with its red velvet walls; the Hall of Mirrors; the King Charles III's room, the Columns Room and Royal Guards' Room.
Along with plush tapestries and glittering gold and silver, the décor features Spanish marble, mahogany doors and important frescoes by Giaquinto, Tiepolo and Mengs and his Spanish followers Bayeu and Maella. Throughout are priceless paintings by Velázquez, Goya, Rubens, El Greco and Caravaggio - all of which are worth admission alone.
The west wing of the palace is home to the Armería Real, the royal army museum. It contains a beautiful collection of armory, including King Charles V's armor suit. The Royal Pharmacy features such treasures as cabinets for storing medicinal herbs, containers, bottles, stills, prescriptions dispensed to the Royal Family.
Palacio Real was the primary residence of the Spanish monarchy until 1931 when King Alfonso XIII went into exile after the Republicans won election. Today the palace is reserved for official and diplomatic functions; the Royal Family lives in the much smaller Zarzuela Palace, a former hunting lodge outside Madrid.
Note: Flash photography is not permitted inside the building so be sure to set your camera accordingly.
Admission Fees: General 11€; Reduced 6€; children under 5 are free.
Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace, is Madrid's largest building, often considered the most beautiful one, and by far the largest palace in Western Europe. Construction of the palace began in 1734 and it officially opened 1755 but was not fully completed until 1764 when King Carlos III established his residency in the palace.
Built on the exact spot where the Moorish Alcázar once stood, the site has been continuously occupied since the 10th century. A bit of fascinating trivia - the Moors named the Manzanares River flowing through Madrid “al-Magrit” which translates to “the source of water”. Back then the city was known as Mayrit which morphed into Magerit then, finally, into Madrid.
When fire ravaged the Royal Alcázar on Christmas Eve, 1734, King Philips V ordered it replaced with a palace in the tradition of Versailles Palace in Paris where he had spent some of his youth. He decreed that the new royal palace was to be built from limestone and granite to prevent any possibility of fire – a threat throughout much of Spain in those days.
Located on the eastern side of Madrid’s historic district in Barrio Austrias, with Plaza de Oriente just east of the palace, Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral and Teatro Real are mere steps away. An easy five minute walk takes you to City Hall, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Plaza de España and much more. As we cross the Plaza de Oriente coming from the Opera House, the sculptures we see are of Spanish monarchs. They were originally intended to be set on top of the palace but were deemed too heavy and instead placed throughout Plaza de Oriente. The final large square, directly in front of the palace entrance, is Plaza de la Armería.
The palace has a square floor plan with a large central courtyard. Puerta del Príncipe gateway on the east side gives access to the central courtyard and the palace is surrounded by the beautiful Sabatini and Campo del Moro parks.
Initially designed by Filippo Juvarra to accommodate the court of Felipe V, Juan Bautista Sacchetti initiated the building project in 1737 and Francisco Sabatini and Ventura Rodríguez completed the work. Sabatini designed the entire southeast wing and the immense and graceful great staircase that greets visitors upon entry.
With well over 2000 lavishly decorated rooms, fifty odd of which are open to visitors, Palacio Real covers 135,000m2 or an astounding 1,453,100 square feet. All told the Palace has 870 windows, 240 balconies and 44 staircases. To say it is huge is an understatement.
A few absolute must visit rooms are the 400m2 (4305.56 square feet) dining room; the Sala de Porcelana (China Room); the Salón del Trono (Throne Room) with its red velvet walls; the Hall of Mirrors; the King Charles III's room, the Columns Room and Royal Guards' Room.
Along with plush tapestries and glittering gold and silver, the décor features Spanish marble, mahogany doors and important frescoes by Giaquinto, Tiepolo and Mengs and his Spanish followers Bayeu and Maella. Throughout are priceless paintings by Velázquez, Goya, Rubens, El Greco and Caravaggio - all of which are worth admission alone.
The west wing of the palace is home to the Armería Real, the royal army museum. It contains a beautiful collection of armory, including King Charles V's armor suit. The Royal Pharmacy features such treasures as cabinets for storing medicinal herbs, containers, bottles, stills, prescriptions dispensed to the Royal Family.
Palacio Real was the primary residence of the Spanish monarchy until 1931 when King Alfonso XIII went into exile after the Republicans won election. Today the palace is reserved for official and diplomatic functions; the Royal Family lives in the much smaller Zarzuela Palace, a former hunting lodge outside Madrid.
Note: Flash photography is not permitted inside the building so be sure to set your camera accordingly.
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