Royal Palace of Madrid

關於

The Royal Palace of Madrid (Spanish: Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family and is used primarily for state ceremonies. With over 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) of floor space and 3,418 rooms, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest palace in Western Europe, the largest royal palace in Europe, and among the largest palaces in the world.

The palace is located on Bailén Street in the western part of central Madrid, east of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from Ópera metro station. The former Alcázar of Madrid, built on the site of a bygone Muslim-era fortress dating to the 9th century, served both as a secure repository for the royal treasure and as a habitual residence of the Trastámara monarchs in the late Middle Ages. After undergoing substantial expansion works during the 16th century, the Royal Alcázar remained on the site until it burned down on 24 December 1734. A new, larger and more sumptuous palace was then built from scratch on the same site for the Bourbon dynasty. Construction took place between 1738 and 1755, and followed a Berniniesque design by Filippo Juvarra and Giovanni Battista Marchetti, in cooperation with Ventura Rodríguez, Francesco Sabatini, and Martín Sarmiento. During the Second Spanish Republic, the building was known as the Palacio Nacional.

The exterior of the palace is characterized by a late Baroque classicism. The main façade, facing the Plaza de la Armería, rises above a rusticated base and is articulated by giant-order columns and pilasters, with a contrast between grey granite and white limestone. The palace is framed by several ceremonial and landscaped spaces, including the Plaza de Oriente, the Sabatini Gardens beside its northern façade, and the Campo del Moro gardens to the west.

The interior of the palace is notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in the construction and decoration of its rooms. Among its many rooms are the Main Staircase, the Throne Room, the Hall of Halberdiers, the Hall of Columns, the State Dining Room, the Rococo Gasparini Room, the Royal Chapel, the Royal Library, the Royal Pharmacy, and other rooms of historical and artistic interest. The decoration also includes paintings by artists such as Caravaggio, Juan de Flandes, Francisco de Goya, and Diego Velázquez, and frescoes by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Corrado Giaquinto, and Anton Raphael Mengs.

Other collections of great historical and artistic importance preserved in the building include the Royal Armoury of Madrid, which houses one of the most important and largest collections of arms and armours; porcelain, watches, furniture, silverware, and the world's only complete Stradivarius string quintet.

內容改寫自 Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。照片來自 Wikimedia Commons.