Palace of Zarzuela

The Zarzuela Palace (Spanish: Palacio de la Zarzuela [paˈlaθjo ðe la θaɾˈθwela]) is the residence and working offices of the reigning monarch of Spain (King Felipe VI), although the official residence of the Spanish royal family is the Royal Palace of Madrid. The Zarzuela Palace is on the outskirts of Madrid, near the Royal Palace of El Pardo, which accommodates visiting heads of state. The palace is owned by the Spanish government and administered by a state agency named Patrimonio Nacional (National Heritage).

The Zarzuela Palace was the home of King Juan Carlos I from May 1962 until his departure to live abroad in August 2020, following allegations of financial impropriety. His wife, Queen Sofía, who did not accompany Juan Carlos abroad, continues to reside with her son and his family at Zarzuela. Although King Felipe VI has his office in the palace, he and his family live in the Pabellón del Príncipe on the grounds just east of the Zarzuela Palace.

Text adapted from “Palace of Zarzuela” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Palace of Zarzuela ranks #180 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #8 of the 600 mapped in Spain. Founded 1627, it is older than 30% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 580 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 71,336 times in the last 60 days, more than 100% of the atlas. 17 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Madrid, 11 km away. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

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