El Retiro Park, Urban park in Jerónimos district, Madrid, Spain
El Retiro Park is an urban park in the Jerónimos district of Madrid covering 125 hectares with 15,000 trees throughout its grounds. The space holds several gardens, monuments, and a central artificial lake where visitors can rent rowboats.
The grounds were created in the 1630s as royal gardens for King Felipe IV and remained reserved for the monarchy until the 19th century. Following partial destruction during the War of Independence, the park opened its gates to the public.
The name Retiro comes from the royal retreat next to the Jeronymite monastery, and Felipe IV issued a royal decree to replace the mocking nickname El Gallinero. The Palacio de Cristal, a glass pavilion inspired by London's Crystal Palace, was built in 1887 with its pond for the Philippine Islands Exhibition to display flowers native to the archipelago.
The park has four sides bounded by Calle de Alcalá and O'Donnell to the north, Calle del Poeta Esteban Villegas to the south, Calle de Alfonso XII to the west and Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo to the east. Its perimeter measures 4.5 km, and the main gate at the Puerta de Felipe IV faces the Paseo del Prado.
The Fallen Angel statue stands at exactly 666 meters (2,185 feet) above sea level and ranks among the few monuments worldwide dedicated to Lucifer. The pedestal holds a bronze figure by sculptor Ricardo Bellver dating from 1877.
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