EL PARQUE DEL RETIRO

The Retiro is the most attractive and emblematic park of the city. Placed in the center of Madrid, it is what the city dwellers call “the lung” of the center of the capital, as well as the meeting place and playground of thousands of Madrileños and their families, and tourists from all over the world.

The park was built during the reign of Felipe IV, as an initiative of his minister, the count-duke of Olivares, who came up with the idea of reserving these grounds for the use and enjoyment of the royal family. It is then that several palaces, ponds and gardens are built in the park for the enjoyment of the kings.

During its existence, the Park was neglected or badly treated, especially during two bloody wars: the War of the Independence (1808-1814), when the French troops used it as a fort to fight against the English troops, and so devastated the palaces and gardens; and during the Spanish Civil war (1936-1939), where the Retiro also suffered great destruction.

At present the Retiro is one of the most beautiful parks in the world, and within it important exhibitions of art may be visited all year round (two of its palaces are used by the Reina Sofía Museum for temporary exhibitions). It is perfect to visit with children, and take them to see street Puppet theaters, go rowing in the pond, have the palm of our hand read or simply rest under the shade of a tree.

The statue of El Ángel Caído (The Fallen Angel)
The statue of The Fallen Angel is unique, since it is the only monument in the world devoted to the devil. The image represents the moment in which Lucifer is expelled from Paradise and condemned to Hell, with a snake around his neck. The statue has been in the same place since 1855, where a porcelain factory had been till 1813, when it was destroyed during the War of the Independence.

Palacio de Cristal (The Crystal Palace)
On the bank of a small but beautiful pond, the Crystal Palace was built in 1887 as a greenhouse for the exhibition on the Philippines (animals and plants were brought from the colony, and even an indigenous town was built in the Park to the effect). As soon as the exhibition was over, it was decided the building should be preserved, as it was, in fact the most beautiful building of the Retiro. At present, the Crystal Palace is used for exhibitions of the Reina Sofía Museum of Contemporary Art.

Casa de Vacas
Casa de Vacas (literally, The House of Cows) owes his name to the time when it was constructed, around 1874, when it was a dairy where milk was sold. In the 20th century, the use and name of la Casa de Vacas changed, and it was turned into a ballroom and meeting place, called El Pavillón (The Pavilion). Later destroyed almost completely by a fire, the Town hall decided to reconstruct it and use it for exhibitions, and celebration of spectacles and events, and so it has been till today.

The Rosaleda (The Rose Garden)
This Garden was commissioned in 1914 by the Mayor of the time, Carlos Prats to the official gardener of the town Cecilio Rodríguez, who was inspired by the Rose bed of the Bagatelle, in Paris. The Rose Garden or “Rosería” as it was first called, is one of the most beautiful places of the Park, one which no one should miss especially in spring and beginning of the summer, when the roses are in full bloom.