Royal Palace of Madrid, Baroque palace in central Madrid, Spain
The Royal Palace of Madrid is a late-Baroque palace on Bailén Street in western central Madrid, east of the Manzanares River. Its main façade above a rusticated base combines grey granite and white limestone, with giant-order columns and pilasters, statues along the roofline, and a dome with a lantern and cross. It has 135,000 m² and 3,418 rooms.
Construction began in 1738 on the site of the Real Alcázar, which burned on Christmas Eve 1734; the fire started in the rooms of the painter Jean Ranc. Filippo Juvarra drew the first plans, and after his death Juan Bautista Sachetti adapted them to the old foundations. Francesco Sabatini completed the building, and Charles III was the first monarch to live there continuously.
The name Palacio Real refers to its function as the official residence of the Spanish crown, now used mainly for state ceremonies. Visitors can walk through halls decorated with frescoes by Tiepolo and Mengs that depict courtly life from past centuries.
The building is open from 10:00 to 18:00 between October and March, and until 20:00 between April and September, with several entrances for individual visitors and groups. Guided tours in multiple languages help with orientation through the many halls and galleries.
The Real Cocina is the oldest preserved royal kitchen complex in Europe with original equipment and architecture from the 18th century. Visitors can see large copper cauldrons and brick stoves there that still show the spatial arrangement of work processes from that time.
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