Crystal Palace Madrid

Crystal Palace Madrid

When you visit Madrid, don’t forget to stroll around in one of its biggest park Parque Del Retiro (Retreat Park). The Parque del Buen Retiro named by Madrid's king is a large and popular, 1.4 km² (350 acre) park in Madrid city center, not far from the Prado Museum. And just at the heart of the Park you will find Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace). Palacio de Cristal is a very lovely building made of metal and glass, built in 1887 as a winter garden for exotic plants.

Created for a 19th Century Exhibition (1887) and dedicated to the Philippines, the Palacio de Cristal was closely modeled on London's Crystal Palace. Palacio de Cristal was designed by Ricardo Velazquez Bosco. It stands in the heart of the Retiro Park, reflecting charismatically in a small lake inhabited by ducks, grey lag geese, and black swans. It forms one of Madrid's most enduring bucolic images. Exhibitions of modern art are regularly held inside the building which ranges from surrealistic metal sculptures to aviary shows.

The Retiro Park also has 130 hectares of woodland which has more than 15,000 trees. One may enter the Park through any of the fine gateways, located in the Plaza de la Independencia, the Calle de Alcala or the Calle de O'Donnell. Once you enter the Retiro Park you will come across the beautiful white stone figures of the Kings and Queens of Spain. Just inside the park there is a large artificial lake where boating can be done. The park also has its rose garden, as well as the Cecilio Rodriguez gardens.

Thus, you will get a beautiful picturesque view of the Crystal Palace once you enter Parque Del Retiro in Madrid, Spain. This fine glass building indeed has some work of art to offer to its tourists.

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