Skip to main content

Palacio Real, Spain


Palacio Real, Spain
The magnificent Palacio Real de Madrid, once used to having the royalty of Spain residing in it (although still the King’s official home), is now used only for ceremonies of the state.
In 865 AD, Emir Mohammed I (who ruled over Córdoba), named the area al-Majrit or Magerit in Arabic where he wanted to build a fortress and a citadel during the Crusades to protect the town of Toledo from Christian soldiers. The fortress was taken over by Alfonso VI, King of Léon and Castille, in 1083. In the 14th century, people began calling it the Old Fortress or Antiguo Alcázar, but over the years it was turned into a palace and the permanent residence for Spain’s royalty by Charles I and his son Philip II. However, after a fire in 1734 burnt the Royal Palace of Madrid to the ground, Philip V commissioned the construction of the one that stands today as Palacio Real.
Highlights include the Royal Armoury housing the royal family’s armour and weaponry preserved since the 13th century, and the Painting Gallery with its rarest of rare art in the form of Luis Morales’ Virgin with Child, Caravaggio’s Salome with the Head of John the Baptist and Juan de Flandes’ Portrait of Isabella the Catholic.The largest royal palace in Europe by floor area, Madrid’s Palacio Realis a majestic building with an impressive entrance featuring limestone statues of over 44 Spanish royals. A site of royal lodgings for hundreds of years, a 9th century Muslim castle once stood there, later replaced in the 16th century by a Christian palace. When this palace burned down in 1734, King Philip V ordered the construction of a new palace, which stands to this day.
Cristina Candel / © Culture Trip

Many famous architects contributed to the Palacio Real, such as Filippo Juvarra, Giovanni Battista Sacchetti, Ventura Rodríguez, Francesco Sabatini and Martín Sarmiento. Charles III was the first King to occupy the palace, but nowadays the palace is primarily a tourist attraction.
Cristina Candel / © Culture TripThe structure itself is enormous and an awe-inspiring sight (both inside and out). It measures 135,00 square metres and is separated into 3,418 rooms. That’s almost double the size of England’s Buckingham Palace or France’s Versailles. Ionic columns frame the exterior and many statues are located in and around the roof and facade area of the palace. When the facade had a small facelift in 1973, several statues were moved around and a royal coat of arms and angels were added around the famous clock designed by Sabatini.
Discover places to stay in Madrid
Cristina Candel / © Culture TripThe palace is surrounded by several park and garden areas including the Sabatini Gardens, a regal park lined with mazes of bushes and perfectly manicured pine trees. Flanking the other side of the palace is the Almudena Cathedral. In the distance, you can also spot Casa de Campo, one of Madrid’s largest green spaces.Visiting the inside will cost you 10 euros, but there are certain days and hours which you can enter for free. Art-lovers can enjoy pieces by Tiepolo, Flandes, Giaquinto, Mengs Goya, Caravaggio Velázquez and others. Besides paintings, you can also check out large collections of porcelain, watches, antique furniture and silver. You can even see the world’s only complete collection of a Stradivarius string quintet. Besides the abundance of salons and bedrooms, there’s also a royal library, a grand staircase, an armory and even a royal pharmacy.
Cristina Candel / © Culture TripNow a staple of the tourist trade in Madrid, the last time the palace was used for a royal purpose was in 2004, when Prince (who is now king) Felipe and Letizia Ortiz were married in the central courtyard.
The Royal Palace seen from the Sabatini Gardens Cristina Candel / © Culture Trip

Madrid's Royal Palace Cristina Candel / © Culture Trip

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sanssouci Palace, Germany

Sanssouci Palace, Germany Sans souci, which means “without concerns” in French, was the summer palace and private refuge of the King of Prussia, Freidrich the Great. A place where he could retreat without care to relax in the company of his greyhounds, the Schloss Sanssouci or Sanssouci Palace is located in the city of Potsdam, bordering Berlin. Built on raised ground with cascading vineyard terraces, the architecture of Sanssouci is more ‘Frederician Rococo’ because of a strong influence of the King’s personal tastes. The Palace was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, with construction starting in 1745 and completed by Jan Bouman in 1747. King Frederick William IV expanded and improved it in the 19th century and, after it somehow emerged from World War II without a scratch, Sanssouci became a tourist attraction in East Germany. Sights in Sanssouci not to be missed are the Pantheonesque gold and white Marble Hall reception area, the Voltaire Room (the French philosopher was...
Post a Comment
Read more

Minar e Pakistan Lahore

Minar e Pakistan Lahore The actual monument appeals to site visitors from in the course of Pakistan, plus the inhabitants from the walled town associated with Lahore. The actual substantial public place throughout the monument is normally for politics meetings and the public, though Iqbal Recreation area location is usually common amongst comets fly design and style possesses designed your Podium associated with Naseer-ud-Din Murat Khan a builder associated with Pakistan (Daghestan) Ruskies source, and also structural engineer was Abdur Rahman Khan Niazi. The very first stone was laid on Walk 1, 1960. The actual development had taken eight many years of your time, and also was concluded throughout 1968 at a charge associated with PKR 500,000. Right now, your Minaret gives a wide ranging check out for you to site visitors who can climb your steps or even a elevator. The actual Recreational areas adjoining your monument include sources of marble and also a manufactured river. Mina...
Post a Comment
Read more

Clifton Beach, Karachi

Clifton Beach, most commonly known as Sea View,[1] in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan is located on the Arabian Sea. It stretches from Karachi to Ormara (Balochistan).[1] The beach is very popular in Pakistan. It is the only beach in the province of Sindh, and also there is no beach in other provinces of Pakistan (Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sarhad) other than Balochistan. It is open 24/7 for the general public. Karachi is the most prominent coastal city of Pakistan and beach lovers here have many opportunities to visit different beaches bordering the Arabian Sea. Clifton Beach is purported to give the best value in leisure and recreational opportunities for fun seekers and beach lovers. The beach is located in the neighborhoods of the Saddar Town which is the city center. The Seaview Apartments across from the beach is a gated residential area which is rated amongst the top properties in the city. Other apartments and villas which can be seen along the Clifton beach coasts are becoming p...
Post a Comment
Read more