Royal palaces in the surroundings of Madrid

Royal palaces in the surroundings of Madrid

It is often said- “to live like a king”. And how do the kings and queens really live?
If you want to answer that question, it is enough to visit Madrid, the capital of Spain. There are several royal residences in the city and its surroundings. Although built at different times and by different kings, they still have something in common- these are the places of luxury, beauty, exquisite and impeccable taste.

The most magnificent, beautiful and exciting of them is the Royal Palace (Palacio Real). The King Carlos ІІІ has launched the building, corresponding to the title, wealth and aesthetic requirements of the royal family, ІІІ.

The construction of palace lasted 26 years and became a real masterpiece.

The palace square is 135 000 m2 (13.5 hectares). It includes 2000 rooms, but the tourists can see only 50 of them, but it’s enough to appreciate the most beautiful palace of Europe. The lucky tourists who visited the official residence of Spanish kings will long remember the granite facades, snow-white stone and marble columns, gilding stucco, fancy carving, mahogany furniture, Armory and art gallery.

Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso that was once the favorite place of Philip V, is located 80 km from Madrid, and looks like a small version of the Palace of Versailles (where the future king spent his childhood). Its form reminds of the Latin letter “U”. 24 halls are open to the public. The gardens, parks and 26 fountains form the part of architectural complex. One of the fountains depicts the royal couple – Philip V and his wife– as Apollo and Diana.

Palacio El Pardo was built by the father of Philip ІІ as a hunting lodge. It was the first building of Spain, whose roof was tiled. The palace is beautiful on the outside, while on the inside it’s just royally amazing! The beautiful paintings of famous artists, ancient furniture and hand-made tapestries look exciting. Not without reason the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco loved this palace and lived there till the day of his death.

Now the high representatives of foreign countries are received in El Pardo at the governmental level.

Aranjuez was another country residence of Spanish kings, situated on the river Tajo 50 km from Madrid. Philip ІІ noted that this place has good climatic conditions and the earth, suitable for farming and decided to start construction. There is a beautiful garden around the palace. It is not surprising that the botanical gardens, admired all over the world, originate from Aranjuez. While living in this palace, Philip V liked to fish right from his bedroom window.

Today all royal palaces are state owned. The royal family owns only Palacio de Zarzuela. This is a private property, open only to the authorized persons.