Royal Palace of Aranjuez

The Royal Palace of Aranjuez (Spanish: Palacio Real de Aranjuez) is one of the official residences of the Spanish royal family. It is located in the town of Aranjuez (Madrid), Spain. Established in the 16th century as a royal hunting lodge, the palace was built by order of Philip II. Under his reign it became one of four seasonal seats of the court along Rascafría, El Escorial and the Royal Alcázar of Madrid. The royal estate comprises a set of landscaped and ornate gardens and woodlands that house an extensive botanical collection.

Several international treaties were signed there and several members of the royal family died in the palace, including: Elisabeth of Valois in 1568, Barbara of Portugal in 1758, Elisabeth Farnese in 1766, Maria Antonia of Naples in 1806, Maria Isabel of Braganza in 1818 and Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony in 1828.

In 1931, during the Second Spanish Republic, the royal estate was declared an Artistic Historical Monument and opened to the public. From 1977 to 1983, the palace served as a state guest house. The palace, gardens and associated buildings are part of the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Currently it houses a museum on the ground floor, the royal rooms and gardens are open to the public and its management is entrusted to the public agency Patrimonio Nacional.

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

Royal Palace of Aranjuez ranks #328 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #15 of the 600 mapped in Spain. Founded c. 1550, it is older than 39% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 718 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 8,874 times in the last 60 days, more than 91% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Toledo, 41 km away. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

View on the interactive castle map →

Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗