The Retiro Park
The Retiro Park is a public green space with an area of 118 hectares. These gardens were once reserved for the king for his leisure. You can admire many statues installed along a "walk of statues".
The park was built in the 17th century, around the Buen Retiro palace. It was a royal residence located outside Madrid, in an environment giving way to nature and appreciated by rulers. It was built under the reign of Philip IV, on lands offered by the count-duke of Olivares.
The estate included several other buildings, such as the Buen Retiro Theater, where plays considered masterpieces by writers such as Pedro Calderon de la Barca were performed. Today, one can also visit the museum of the army, the living room of the kingdoms (remarkable for its interior paintings) or an old ballroom, the Cason del Buen Retiro but also the Crystal Palace.
