And this one is a dandy to update for you and me me me! It reminds me of so much of good memories from a boy to a men and marriage ,and fatherhood. It is impossible for me to visit Madrid without stopping here, and it is very difficult for me to visit Spain ,and not Madrid! Madrid to heaven and a hole on the sky to look down on it everyday!!! Let me tell you a bit more on the Crystal Palace of Madrid or the Palacio de Cristal of Madrid ,part I !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
So why not tell of the other palace in the Retiro park of my beloved Madrid! There is so much on this park alone to make a couple days in my Madrid! We love it, family love it ,and I am in love since teen years living there; a must for me to visit and of course will be yours too if see it. I have written a lot of posts on my Madrid in my blog, but seldom a single post on this Crystal Palace ,done similar to the one in London. It deserves a single entry on its owns merits. Therefore, here is my contribution to the Palacio de Cristal of Madrid.
The Palacio de Cristal is a metal and crystal structure located in the Parque del Buen Retiro (Retiro Park) of Madrid. It was built in 1887 on the occasion of the exhibition of the Philippine Islands, held that same year. The majestic structure of 22 meters high opened its doors!. It was the first non industrial building of its genre that saw the day in Spain. Nowdays, contemporary art exhibitions are currently held.
It was built inspired by the Crystal Palace, erected in London in 1851. The structure is metal, and is completely covered by glass plates, hence its name. The ceramic decoration used in small friezes and finials highlight the figures of grotesques with heads of mallards. The Palacio de Cristal, in the shape of a Greek cross, is made almost entirely of glass set in an iron framework on a brick base, which is decorated with ceramics. Its domed roofs makes the structure over 22 meters high.
At its feet is an artificial lake and there is a staircase that is immersed inside it, where you can find several specimens of Cypress marsh trees, whose main characteristic is that part of its trunk and its roots are under water. The building is surrounded by chestnuts trees. The Lake contains ducks. geese, black swans and terrapins, who will swim close to the steps, or you can hire boats on the lake for a closer view. It has a surface area of 2,900 m2 and a water volume of 3,480 m3. The spout reaches a height of 17 meters.
On May 10, 1936, the Palacio de Cristal in the Retiro park was the scene in which Manuel Azaña was elected as President of the Republic. The courts had remained small to host the mixed assembly of Deputies and Commissioners and the Crystal Palace was chosen for voting and inauguration of Azaña, the only candidate! Nowadays, it is part of the Reina Sofía Museum, and in its interior there are exhibitions of contemporary art.
Located at the Paseo Républica de Cuba ,inside the Retiro park. Go there by Metro lines 1 Atocha, Line 9 Ibiza, and line 2 Retiro. Also , Renfe-Atocha trains and bus lines 2, 20, 26 , 61. Check for schedules as after the pandemic things might have change.
The Madrid tourist office on the Palacio de Cristal: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/palacio-de-cristal
The Reina Sofia Museum on outbuildings such as the Palacio de Cristal: https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/museum/venues
There you go folks, the enormous beautiful Retiro park of my beloved Madrid. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Palacio de Cristal of Madrid ,part I !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 