It was once a Moorish castle with a forest around But sadly it caught fire and was razed to the ground. It is now the largest palace with over 3000 rooms And includes palatial gardens filled with fountain and blooms. Discover some awe-striking facts about Royal Palace of Madrid. From its enormous size, history, interiors and bizarre stories – you will find your perfect reasons as to why it is worth visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid.
If you are planning a trip to Madrid, then the Royal Palace of Madrid would be on your list of places to visit. The question that might be plaguing you is – Is it worth visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid? Should I go inside the Madrid Palace or just seeing it from outside would be good enough? Well, you have just landed on the right page for your queries.
During my recent visit to Madrid, I chose to take the plunge and explore what is inside the Royal Palace of Madrid. Not only did I get to see the exotic interiors of the palace but I also, learned some astonishing Royal Palace of Madrid facts and stories – all of which make this visit worthwhile.
In this blog, I will reveal 15 of these amazing facts about the Royal Palace of Madrid – which includes stories of things that you can still see in this monument. I am sure that by the end of the post, you will have answers to why you should visit the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Quick links for your Madrid trip
Here are some useful resources and links that you can use to plan your Madrid itinerary.
- Booking.com has several good Madrid hotels listed on their site. You could use this link to browse and book the same.
- GetYourGuide has various local tours and car bookings available that you can use to explore Madrid. Here are my recommended links that you will find useful for your Madrid trip.It even includes a guided tour of the Madrid Palace
- If you are comfortable with Viator.com which has tours, skip-the-line tickets and other experiences for Madrid, you can try that with the given link. The three that I suggest include –
- For any of your travel needs or general shopping, consider using Amazon through this link.
Disclaimer: This article includes affiliate links. This means that at no cost to you, I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link. Thank you for supporting me with this.
Contents
- 1 1. The Royal Palace of Madrid was earlier a Moorish Alcazar
- 2 2. The original Alcazar was burned in a fire that raged on for 4 days
- 3 3. It took 18 years to build the new Royal Palace of Madrid
- 4 4. It is the largest living palace in Western Europe – one of the key eyebrows-raising facts about Royal Palace of Madrid
- 5 5. The Madrid Royal Palace is the official residence of the Spanish royal family but they no longer live here.
- 6 6. The Royal Palace of Madrid is well-known for its lavish interiors and its collection of paintings & antiquities
- 7 7. The throne room of the Madrid Royal Palace is the largest and still has its original décor
- 8 8. The Grand staircase of the Royal Palace of Madrid is made with a single slab of marble
- 9 9. The family portrait of King Juan Carlos took 20 years to finish
- 10 10. There were 114 limestone statues that were removed from the Palace after the Queen mother had a nightmare about them – an intriguing Royal Palace of Madrid story
- 11 11. The highest point of the palace is the dome of its Royal Chapel
- 12 12. The Sabatini gardens of the Madrid Royal Palace was not designed by Sabatini and was in fact the royal stables.
- 13 13. Campo Moro was named after the Moorish camp set here in order to win the Alcazar back
- 14 14. The Royal Kitchen of the Madrid Palace had over 2000 people employed
- 15 15. The Change of Guards ceremony still takes place in the Royal Palace of Madrid
1. The Royal Palace of Madrid was earlier a Moorish Alcazar
Around the 9th century, Madrid was a part of the Arab Caliphate that ruled from Cordoba. The then Emir Muhammed I of the Umayyad clan built an Alcazar – primarily as a security for their trading route that passed through Madrid and Toledo.
After the Castille kings took over, the Alcazar was slowly expanded and renovated. It remained a protective structure until 1561 when Philip II moved his capital to Madrid. Further renovations and additions took place and the Madrid Alcazar became a residential palace for the ruling kings.
2. The original Alcazar was burned in a fire that raged on for 4 days
An accidental fire of 1734 completely destroyed the Madrid Alcazar. As this Royal Palace of Madrid story goes – it was Christmas Eve and most people in the palace were busy attending the midnight service. A fire originated in the room of the court artisan – Jean Ranc and began to spread through the palace.
An alarm was promptly raised but the warning bells were mistaken for church chimes. Worse was that the fortress doors were shut in an attempt to prevent looting. The fire spread rapidly and went on for 4 days.
A few lives were lost and over 500 significant paintings were destroyed in this fire. These include paintings of Titian, Veláquez, Da Vinci and Raphael. A few were saved by throwing them out of the window. The saved ones include Las Meninas done by Veláquez which is now a proud display at the Prado Museum in Madrid.
3. It took 18 years to build the new Royal Palace of Madrid
The new Palace to replace the burnt residence was first commissioned in 1736 by King Philip V. The lead architect was Filippo Juvarra who started the construction but, died prematurely. His Giambattista Sacchetti and Francesco Sabatini took over and finally finished the job in 1764.
Sadly the person who commissioned it – King Philip V never got to stay in it. The first King to stay here was King Charles III in 1764.
4. It is the largest living palace in Western Europe – one of the key eyebrows-raising facts about Royal Palace of Madrid
One of the whoopiest Madrid Royal Palace facts is that it is even bigger than the Buckingham palace of London. Set in an estate of 1,450,000 sq ft, the Royal Palace of Madrid includes 3410 rooms, three massive gardens and a parade ground. The rooms include the royal apartments, the kitchen, offices and staff quarters.
5. The Madrid Royal Palace is the official residence of the Spanish royal family but they no longer live here.
The Spanish royal family occupied the Madrid palace continuously from 1764 to 1931. The last king to stay there was King Alfonso XII. It is still designated as the official residence of the Royal family and is used for state functions and ceremonies. However, the current King and his family have long moved out and stay in the Palace of Zarzuela in Madrid.
When you visit, check if the Royal flag is hoisted high on the Palace. If so, you know that someone from the Royal family is using the palace on that day.
6. The Royal Palace of Madrid is well-known for its lavish interiors and its collection of paintings & antiquities
Every room that you visit in the Royal Palace of Madrid will exude an oomph. The best materials have been used to create its extravagant interiors. Learning from experience, the use of wood has been restricted to doors and windows only. You will find a lot of marble, granite and porcelain on the floors and walls.
Several renowned artisans have their paintings and art in this palace. There is an exclusive Gasparini room with his décor dominating every inch of the wall, upholstery, curtains and even ceilings. In other areas, you will find ceilings painted by maestros like Corrado Giaquinto, Giambattista Tiepolo and Raphael Mengs. Besides there, there are several masterpieces from Goya and Velaquez that decorate the walls.
Among the antiquities, you will find several silver artifacts, Qing vases and old clocks that are on display. Overall, it is believed that there are more than 500 such exhibits scattered throughout the rooms that you can visit on your Royal Palace of Madrid tour.
7. The throne room of the Madrid Royal Palace is the largest and still has its original décor
The Throne room of the Madrid Royal Palace is its largest room and is still used for official functions and important ceremonies like the Kissing of the Hand. This room still has its original décor of 1730s and even today, you can see the antique mirrors, chandeliers, plush red velvets and a ceiling created by Tiapolo.
8. The Grand staircase of the Royal Palace of Madrid is made with a single slab of marble
One of the astonishing Royal Palace of Madrid facts is about the Grand staircase that you will see as soon as you embark on your tour. The entire structure of 170 stairs is made from a single piece of San Agustin marble.
The other interesting aspect of this staircase are the two marble lions at its end in poses to reflect the ruling philosophy of “strength” and “control” practiced by the Spanish monarchs.
Of course, the ceiling painting done by Corrado Giaquinto is unmissable. It depicts the Royal family protecting the Church.
9. The family portrait of King Juan Carlos took 20 years to finish
Located in the Halberdiers’ hall is this painting of the Royal family of King Juan Carlos. It took the artist Antonio Lopez almost 20 years to finish it. Each member of the family was painted separately and the artist kept going back and forth between the palace and studio to make the required changes – till each one of them was satisfied.
10. There were 114 limestone statues that were removed from the Palace after the Queen mother had a nightmare about them – an intriguing Royal Palace of Madrid story
The initial plan of the Royal Palace of Madrid included 114 limestone statues of the Spanish monarches – from those of the Visigoth kingdom to the then present King Charles III. These were sculpted by Giovanni Domérico Olivieri and Felipe de Castro and would have been placed in various corners of the palace – but for the dream that Queen Isabel de Farnese had.
In her dream, she saw Madrid being hit by an earthquake and she getting squashed by one of those statues. Worried, she asked her son- King Charles III to get rid of these statues. And thus, they were removed and kept in the basement.
It was in 1842, that Queen Isabel II retrieved these statues and had them moved across the palace and Madrid. Today, you can see a few of them in the Royal Palace of Madrid gardens, in the corridors of the palace, Plaza de Oriente and the El Retiro park (in the section called Hall of Realms). Now that is quite an interesting story about the Royal Palace of Madrid – isn’t it?
11. The highest point of the palace is the dome of its Royal Chapel
Located on the first floor, after the King’s apartments is the Royal Chapel. The dome of the chapel marks the highest point of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
However, the impressive part about the dome is when you see it from inside. Holding it up are huge black marble pillars and covering it is a gigantic painting by Sacchetti and Corrado Giaquinto. These paintings are of The Trinity, Allegory of Religion, Glory and the Holy Trinity Crowning the Virgin.
12. The Sabatini gardens of the Madrid Royal Palace was not designed by Sabatini and was in fact the royal stables.
Sure it is called the Sabatini gardens after the great architect – Francesco Sabatini. But it is not designed by him. It is actually done by Fernando García Mercadal in the 1900s in a neo-classical style. The beautiful landscape that you see today replaced the Royal stables that originally occupied the place. The stables in fact, was designed by Sabatini.
13. Campo Moro was named after the Moorish camp set here in order to win the Alcazar back
In the 1100s, after the Castille kings took over the Alcazar, the Arab Caliphate attempted to get it back. Troops led by Ali ben Yusuf camped in the forest part near the Alcazar and that is what gave this area the name – Campo Moro. Later, during the rule of Philip IV, this was redesigned as one of the Royal Palace of Madrid gardens.
14. The Royal Kitchen of the Madrid Palace had over 2000 people employed
The Royal Kitchen of the Madrid Royal Palace is a sight to behold. First built in the 1740s, this is a gigantic place that includes the main kitchen area and a separate one for the Royal kids (it has colorful tiles in it). The total staff employed – from servers to chefs and other attendants exceeded 2000.
15. The Change of Guards ceremony still takes place in the Royal Palace of Madrid
Quite like the Change of Guards ceremony of the Buckingham palace, the Royal Palace of Madrid has its own traditional march. The Guardia Real hand over their shift to a new set of guards in an almost 2 hour ceremony. One can still witness it on Wednesday and Saturday at 11 am. All they have to do is reach early and grab a spot at the Plaza de la Armenia.
Well, have you found your reason to visit the Palacio Real de Madrid? Don’t you agree that it is worth visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid?
If you still need more proof, then check out my blog post on the virtual tour of the Madrid Royal Palace. The same blog post has tons of tips and information to help you plan your visit to one of the largest palaces in the World.
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Popularly referred to as a Restless Ball of Energy. My Mom refuses to entertain my complaints about my equally restless daughter & assures my husband that I was born with a travel bug.
I am a Post-Graduate in Marketing by qualification and a travel blogger by passion. Besides travel, I enjoy photography and if you don’t find me at my desk, I would be out playing badminton or swimming or just running. I believe in planning for every long weekend through the year. And when I cannot travel physically, I travel virtually through this travel blog. My travel stories have also, got published on various websites and magazines including BBC Travel, Lonely Planet India and Jetwings. I have recently published my first book – When Places Come Alive – a collection of stories that are based on legends, landscapes, art and culture of a place which is available in both ebook and paperback format.
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