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Palacio Real

Royal Palace of Madrid
Palacio Real de Madrid
Palacio Real, Madrid, España, 2014-12-27, DD 15-17 PAN.JPG
Royal Palace of Madrid
Royal Palace of Madrid is located in Madrid
Royal Palace of Madrid
Location within Madrid
General information
Architectural style Baroque, Classicism
Town or city Madrid
Country Spain
Coordinates 40°25′05″N 3°42′51″W / 40.417974°N 3.714302°W / 40.417974; -3.714302Coordinates: 40°25′05″N 3°42′51″W / 40.417974°N 3.714302°W / 40.417974; -3.714302
Construction started April 7, 1735
Client Philip V of Spain
Technical details
Floor area 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect Filippo Juvarra (first of many)
Official name Palacio Real de Madrid
Type Non-movable
Criteria Monument
Designated 1931
Reference no. RI-51-0001061

The Royal Palace of Madrid (Spanish: Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family at the city of Madrid, but it is only used for state ceremonies. King Felipe VI and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the more modest Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid.

The palace is owned by the Spanish State and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional, a public agency of the Ministry of the Presidency. The palace is located on Calle de Bailén ("Bailén Street") in the western part of downtown Madrid, east of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from the Ópera metro station. Several rooms in the palace are regularly open to the public except during state functions. An admission fee of €11 is required. Some days it's free.

The palace is located on the site of a 9th-century Alcázar ("Muslim-era fortress"), near the town of Magerit, constructed as an outpost by Muhammad I of Córdoba and inherited after 1036 by the independent Moorish Taifa of Toledo. After Madrid fell to Alfonso VI of Castile in 1083, the edifice was only rarely used by the kings of Castile. In 1329, King Alfonso XI of Castile convened the cortes of Madrid for the first time. Philip II moved his court to Madrid in 1561.

The old Alcázar was built on the location in the 16th century. After it burned 24 December 1734, King Philip V ordered a new palace built on the same site. Construction spanned the years 1738 to 1755 and followed a Berniniesque design by Filippo Juvarra and Giovanni Battista Sacchetti in cooperation with Ventura Rodríguez, Francesco Sabatini, and Martín Sarmiento. Charles III first occupied the new palace in 1764.


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