Royal Tapestry Factory, Industrial heritage museum in Madrid, Spain.
The Royal Tapestry Factory is a manufacturing complex in Madrid housed in a neo-Mudéjar building that contains working workshops, display areas, and a collection of historical textiles. The site also includes specialized spaces for production and storage of hand-woven works.
King Philip V established the facility in 1720 after Spain lost access to Flemish tapestry workshops. Master craftspeople from Antwerp were recruited to produce luxury textiles for the Spanish crown.
The workshops here follow traditional weaving methods and create tapestries and carpets based on designs from renowned artists for royal palaces. Visitors can observe how this centuries-old craft tradition remains active and is still practiced in the workspaces.
Visits require advance arrangement, and it is recommended to contact the facility beforehand for current opening times and access details. The site operates on a limited schedule, so planning ahead ensures you can see the workshops in operation.
The complex includes a specialized garden planted with species used to produce natural dyes for textiles, preserving historical coloring techniques. This garden demonstrates how traditional dyeing methods remain part of the production process today.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
