El Capricho Park, Historic garden in Alameda de Osuna, Madrid, Spain
El Capricho Park is a historic garden in the Alameda de Osuna neighborhood of Madrid, covering roughly 14 hectares. The grounds combine geometric French alleys with Italian fountains and English landscape sections crossed by groves and meadows.
The Duchess of Osuna commissioned the garden in 1784 as a private retreat and added architectural elements until 1830, including the first iron bridge in Spain. During the Civil War, the republican army headquarters occupied the site and used underground rooms.
The name refers to the whimsical ideas that dot the grounds with around twenty buildings and small structures. Visitors discover scattered ruins and a ballroom that once served as an open pavilion for celebrations.
Access is available only on weekends, and metro line 5 stops at El Capricho station a short walk away. Paths cross hilly sections, so comfortable shoes work well for longer exploration.
A Spanish Civil War air-raid shelter called position Jaca remains in good condition and shows traces of its military use. Underground rooms still hold wall inscriptions and installations from that period.
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