BUSCADOR

The Glass Palace

Palacio de Cristal.jpg
Palacio de Cristal.jpg
Palacio de Cristal.jpg
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Description

Information

Madrid is home to some wonderful examples of cast-iron architecture. One of the most striking is the Glass Palace which is located in El Retiro Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was originally built in 1887 as a greenhouse to showcase flora and fauna as part of an exhibition on the Philippines, then a Spanish colony. Today it is owned by the Reina Sofía Museum which uses it all year round as a venue for hosting temporary exhibitions.

It was designed in the late 19^th century by architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco. He modelled it on Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace which had been erected in Hyde Park (London) back in 1851. The structure made of glass plates and cast iron sits on a brick base decorated with ceramic tiles by Daniel Zuloaga (the renowned Spanish ceramist whose tiles can also be found on the façade of the nearby Velázquez Palace and covering the dome of the Church-Convent of Santa Teresa). The palace, which was restored in 1975, is surrounded by horse chestnuts. It stands next to a small pond filled with ducks and geese, just a stone’s throw from the Velázquez Palace, which is also used by the Reina Sofía Museum for temporary exhibitions.

Map

WHAT'S IN THE AREA?

Accommodations(7)

Tourist Information(23)

See detail in Google Map

Last updated:

01/02/2023

Practical information

Tourist info

Address

Paseo

de República de Cuba, 4

28009

Tourist area

Retiro

Telephone

(+34) 91 774 10 00

Fax

--

Web

http://www.museoreinasofia.es/

Email

info@museoreinasofia.es

Metro

Estación del Arte (L1), Ibiza (L9), Retiro (L2)

Bus

1, 2, 9, 10, 14, 15, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32, 51, 52, 60, 61, 63, 74, 146, 152, C1, C2, N2, N3, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9

Cercanías (local train)

Madrid-Atocha

BiciMAD bike-share scheme

Docking stations:

- Puerta del Doce de Octubre (Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo, 63)

- Puerta del Pacífico (Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo, 73)

- Puerta del Ángel Caído (Avenida de Alfonso XII, 54)

Price

Free.

Times

Oct, Mar: 10:00am - 7:00pm

Nov-Feb: 10.00am - 6.00 pm

Apr-Sep: 10:00am - 9:00pm

Closed: 1, 6 January, 1 May, 25 December

24, 31 December: 10:00am - 5:00 pm

The Glass Palace may not open on rainy days due to the characteristics of the building.

Type

Sights and monuments, Cultural venues, Cultural centres, exhibition halls, foundations

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19TH-CENTURY CAST-IRON ARCHITECTURE

Palacio de Cristal

The Glass Palace

The Glass Palace in El Retiro Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the finest examples of cast-iron architecture in Madrid.

San Miguel Market

A stunning 100-year-old market that has reinvented itself to become one of Madrid's most popular tourist attractions.

Museo del Ferrocarril

Railway Museum

Located in a former train station, the museum is home to a wonderful collection of old trains and carriages.

Madrid - Puerta de Atocha - Almudena Grandes

A stone's throw from Madrid's top museums, the city's main railway station is a grand iron-and-glass relic from the 19th century.

Greenhouse at the Arganzuela Crystal Palace

These botanical gardens, which you can visit in Madrid Río, house more than nine thousand species of plants.

Estación de Príncipe Pío

Principe Pío Station

The former North Station has been transformed into an exciting shopping and leisure centre.

Palacio de Velázquez

Velázquez Palace

A beautiful brick and tile building that hosts temporary exhibitions in El Retiro Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.