Palacio Real
The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain; However, the royal family does not live there, but rather in the Zarzuela Palace, which is why it is used for state ceremonies and solemn events.
With an area of 135,000 m² and 3,418 rooms (almost double that of Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Versailles, it is the largest royal palace in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world. It houses a valuable historical heritage- artistic, highlighting the set of musical instruments known as the Stradivarius Palatinos, and very relevant collections of other disciplines such as painting, sculpture and tapestry. The State rooms and artistic ,collections are open to visits as long as there are no official events.
The palace was built by order of King Philip V, on the site left by the Royal Alcázar, almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1734. Both the foundations of the old fortress and some of its structures were used for the construction of the new palace. The fire episode served to justify the replacement of the old building with a palace in accordance with the taste of the time. Its construction began in 1738, according to plans by the architect Filippo Juvara, who proposed a larger palace, but in a different location. When Juvara died, the project was entrusted to his disciple Juan Bautista Sachetti, who was required to adapt Juvara's plans to the site of the old Alcázar. Other distinguished Spanish architects such as Ventura Rodríguez participated and were trained in the quarry of the new palace; the configuration of the Royal Chapel is due to him. Francesco Sabatini was in charge of the completion of the building, as well as secondary renovation, expansion and decoration works. Charles III was the first monarch to continuously inhabit the palace.
Palacio Real
The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain; However, the royal family does not live there, but rather in the Zarzuela Palace, which is why it is used for state ceremonies and solemn events.
With an area of 135,000 m² and 3,418 rooms (almost double that of Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Versailles, it is the largest royal palace in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world. It houses a valuable historical heritage- artistic, highlighting the set of musical instruments known as the Stradivarius Palatinos, and very relevant collections of other disciplines such as painting, sculpture and tapestry. The State rooms and artistic ,collections are open to visits as long as there are no official events.
The palace was built by order of King Philip V, on the site left by the Royal Alcázar, almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1734. Both the foundations of the old fortress and some of its structures were used for the construction of the new palace. The fire episode served to justify the replacement of the old building with a palace in accordance with the taste of the time. Its construction began in 1738, according to plans by the architect Filippo Juvara, who proposed a larger palace, but in a different location. When Juvara died, the project was entrusted to his disciple Juan Bautista Sachetti, who was required to adapt Juvara's plans to the site of the old Alcázar. Other distinguished Spanish architects such as Ventura Rodríguez participated and were trained in the quarry of the new palace; the configuration of the Royal Chapel is due to him. Francesco Sabatini was in charge of the completion of the building, as well as secondary renovation, expansion and decoration works. Charles III was the first monarch to continuously inhabit the palace.