Palacio Real

• [Z] Real Monasterio de la Encarnac 0.2 Km
• [Y] St. Maria de Almudena (Madrid' 0.4 Km
• [X] Plaza de España 0.6 Km
• [W] Palacio de Gaviria 0.6 Km
• [V] Museo Cerralbo 0.7 Km
• [U] Kilometro Cero 0.8 Km
• [T] Gran Via 0.8 Km
• [S] Arganzuela 1.1 Km

The Royal Palace is the official residence of the king of Spain, even though the Royal family lives in the smaller Palacio de la Zarzuela, on the outskirts of Madrid. The Royal Palace nowadays is used for State occasions and functions; in these cases it is closed to the public. It is the largest royal palace in Western Union with its over 2800 rooms and covers an area of over 135000 square metres. The entrance to Madrid's Royal Palace is just opposite to the Opera metro station. In the 10th century it was a fortress and was rarely used by the kings of Castille until Philip II decided to move his court to Madrid in 1561. After a big fire, King Philip V wanted a new palace to be built on the same location. The construction of this new palace went from 1738 to 1755 following a Bernini's style design by Filippo Juvara and Giovan Battista Tiepolo. Famous artists such as Velàsquez, Caravaggio, Tiepolo, Goya, John of Flanders and others contributed to enrich the Palace with their masterful decorations. Among the important historical collections that a traveller might see we like to point out: the Royal Armoury with weapons dating back to the XIII century and the only complete Stradivarius string quintet existing in the world together with collections of porcelain, furniture, tapestry and much more.

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