Royal Palace of Madrid

The Royal Palace of Madrid (Spanish: Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family and is used primarily for state ceremonies. With over 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) of floor space and 3,418 rooms, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest palace in Western Europe, the largest royal palace in Europe, and among the largest palaces in the world.

The palace is located on Bailén Street in the western part of central Madrid, east of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from Ópera metro station. The former Alcázar of Madrid, built on the site of a bygone Muslim-era fortress dating to the 9th century, served both as a secure repository for the royal treasure and as a habitual residence of the Trastámara monarchs in the late Middle Ages. After undergoing substantial expansion works during the 16th century, the Royal Alcázar remained on the site until it burned down on 24 December 1734. A new, larger and more sumptuous palace was then built from scratch on the same site for the Bourbon dynasty.

Construction took place between 1738 and 1755, and followed a Berniniesque design by Filippo Juvarra and Giovanni Battista Marchetti, in cooperation with Ventura Rodríguez, Francesco Sabatini, and Martín Sarmiento. During the Second Spanish Republic, the building was known as the Palacio Nacional.

The exterior of the palace is characterized by a late Baroque classicism. The main façade, facing the Plaza de la Armería, rises above a rusticated base and is articulated by giant-order columns and pilasters, with a contrast between grey granite and white limestone. The palace is framed by several ceremonial and landscaped spaces, including the Plaza de Oriente, the Sabatini Gardens beside its northern façade, and the Campo del Moro gardens to the west.

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

Royal Palace of Madrid ranks #53 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #3 of the 600 mapped in Spain. Founded 1735, it is older than 20% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 525 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 71,884 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, 1 km away. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

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