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📖 Introduction

The Retiro Park is a favorite resting place for the city’s residents, nicknamed the “green lungs of Madrid”. It covers an area of 118 hectares (291.59 acres) and is adjacent to the most beautiful street of the city, Paseo del Prado, which is also home to 🔗 the Prado Museum and 🔗 the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The Park was established in the first half of the 17th century and served as the royal gardens, a place of rest and entertainment for the king and the court at the Buen Retiro Palace.

Palacio del Buen Retiro 🏰

The palace was erected by order of Philip IV as the second city residence. Frankly saying, it was never in the plans. In earlier times, kings while traveling often stayed in monasteries, where royal rooms were arranged for them. One such monastery that won the royal favor was the Hieronymites Monastery, whose Church of Saint Jerome the Royal is located near the present entrance to the Prado Museum. The monks chose for their home the eastern part of the city, outside the walls, because of its healthy conditions, the gentle streams, orchards, and fresh winds from the mountains. Over time, the royal quarters at the monastery were enlarged and expanded with more buildings, and finally the entire complex called Palacio del Buen Retiro was built. The parks in the vicinity of the palace occupied an area three times larger than the buildings and were divided into different areas. To the north, there was an octagonal pond known as the Bell Pond. To the south of the palace were the olive groves and orchards of the Atocha sanctuary, with a small hill with the hermitage of San Blas. To the east was the area of the Great Pond, Campo Grande.

Official Royal Residence 👑

In 1701, the first Bourbon, Philip V, arrived in Madrid. Initially the court lived in the Alcázar. However, the cramped and outdated medieval palace did not suit the king’s taste. Eventually, after a fire at the Alcázar in 1734, the royal family relocated their official residence to the Buen Retiro Palace. The aftermath of this event was a return to the idea of renovating the gardens and the palace itself. It is possible that the palace with its gardens reminded the monarch of the places of his childhood: the palaces of Versailles and Marly.

The Times of Charles III

After the death of Philip V and the next Ferdinand VI, Charles III took to the throne. He earned the nickname “the good mayor” although he never officially held the position. It was due to his deep commitment to the city’s development. The king partially opened the park to the public, but under condition that the visitors were properly dressed and behaved impeccably. In 1760, the Royal Porcelain Factory Buen Retiro was established on the drained part of the ponds, whose excellent products can be seen today in the showcases of 🔗 the Royal Palace. Then, in 1770, a zoological garden was opened in the vicinity of today’s botanical garden. The zoo was inhabited by animals brought mainly from the Spanish colonies in South America and the Iberian Peninsula. Although Charles III officially resided in the Buen Retiro Palace in 1759, he didn’t particularly like it; he preferred living in other residences around the city. Eventually in 1764, he moved to the new Royal Palace, when its construction on the site of the former Alcázar was finally over.

The 19th century

In 1808, during the Napoleonic invasion, Joseph I Bonaparte sat on the throne and the palace served as the headquarters of the French troops. However, as the Napoleonic troops began to withdraw from Madrid in 1812, the palace suffered significant damage. It was bombed by British forces and further ravaged by looting carried out by the locals. The once magnificent gardens were left to grow wild, and the palace itself fell into disrepair—its roofs leaking, doors and windows missing. Some of the buildings were repurposed to meet new needs. For instance, the Casón del Buen Retiro (the Ballroom) was turned into a mill, while the Salón de Reinos (the main audience hall) became a warehouse for olive oil and alcohol. The final blow came when the English forces detonated a porcelain factory. In 1816, demolition work began, and in 1865, Queen Isabella II sold the land to the state. After 1868, the Retiro Park was fully open to the public.

The modern days

In 1972, the zoo was moved to the Casa del Campo area, where animal enclosures and cages were more spacious and modern. Nevertheless, traces of its past can still be found within the park. These include the former entrance decorated with lion statues, animal cages, and a bear enclosure. Currently, there are 17 monumental gates leading to the park. Within the garden you can find many monuments dedicated to famous Spanish writers, artists, and national heroes. Notably, in the spot once occupied by a porcelain factory, stands the Fallen Angel Monument from 1885, crafted by Ricardo Bellver. The twisted angel, with outstretched wings, rests upon rocks forming the base of the monument, while a large snake coils around its body.

Three buildings have become a permanent part of the landscape of this area and are used as exhibition spaces. The first is the Velázquez Palace, also known as the Palacio de la Mineria, built at the end of the 19th century for the needs of a gallery of artistic crafts. The second is the Crystal Palace, which is almost entirely a combination of steel, glass, and ceramics, which sparkles in the sun like a diamond. It was built in 1887, inspired by London’s Crystal Palace. At the end of the 20th century, it was carefully reconstructed and incorporated into 🔗 the Reina Sofía Museum. The last of the buildings is Casa de Vacas, literally “House of the Cows”. As funny as it sounds, the name is quite obvious because in the 19th century real cows were kept in there to provide fresh milk for walkers.

The most recognizable feature of the park is undoubtedly the great pond with the equestrian monument of Alfonso XII. It is surrounded by a semicircular colonnade and stands in there since 1922. Furthermore, the park features tennis courts, a soccer field, a boat harbor, and a small passenger ship. There are singers and street musicians performing, and just like in the past, crowds of Madrileños strolling around.

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