Palacio de Velázquez

Palacio de Velázquez, or Velázquez Palace (sometimes referred to as Palacio de Exposiciones) is an exhibition hall located in Buen Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain.

Originally known as the Palacio de la Minería, it was built in 1881-3 for the Exposición Nacional de Minería by architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco (and named after him), engineer Alberto Palacio, and ceramist Daniel Zuloaga. It functions as an arts and crafts gallery and is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural. The building's interior is viewable on Google Street View and it is part of the Google Art Project.

Palacio de Velázquez is located in the Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid's Jeronimos district. It occupies a central position in the park, between the large boating lake and the small lake next to the Palacio de Cristal. The Buen Retiro ("nice retreat") was originally a royal hunting ground converted into an exclusive royal park for Felipe IV's Buen Retiro Palace, which spread over 300 acres (120 ha). The palace was largely demolished after the Peninsular War, with only Casón del Buen Retiro (a ballroom) and Salón de Reinos (used as a throne room) still existing, and the park has been open to public since 1868.

It is a large neoclassical, red-brick-and-tile building covered with iron vaults and glass to naturally illuminate the rooms. It was built between 1881 and 1883, for the National Exhibition to display the achievements in the field of mining, metallurgy, ceramics, glass-making and mineral water industries. The architect was Ricardo Velázquez. The engineer Alberto Palacio, and the ceramist Daniel Zuloaga also worked on the project.

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