Royal Palace

Before you stands the Royal Palace, the official residence of the kings of Spain, although today it is used only for state ceremonies. It occupies a site steeped in history: the edge of the hill where Madrid was born.

1From the Alcázar to the palace

On this very spot stood the old Alcázar, heir to the Islamic fortress from which the city grew and later the residence of the Habsburgs. On Christmas Eve 1734 a fire destroyed most of it, and Philip V decided to build a new palace worthy of the great European courts.

The first design, by Filippo Juvarra, was enormous and was never built because of the architect’s sudden death. His pupil, Giovanni Battista Sacchetti, adapted it to the footprint of the Alcázar, and work began in 1738. Later, Francesco Sabatini finished the building and directed further alterations.

2A home for the Crown

Charles III was the first king to live here on a permanent basis, from 1764. The last monarch to live in it was Alfonso XIII, and during the Second Republic it was home to President Manuel Azaña. With some 3,400 rooms, it is one of the largest royal palaces in Western Europe. Today it is managed by Patrimonio Nacional.

Granite for the structure and white Colmenar stone for the decoration: two materials from the mountains and plateau of Madrid.

3What to look out for

• The south façade, opening onto the Plaza de la Armería.
• The contrast of materials: grey granite and white stone.
• The drop towards the River Manzanares: from here you can see why the original fortress was built on this hill.