It was opened in 1887, coinciding with the General Exhibition of the Philippine Islands and its revolutionary design in those times when architecture was still tied to traditional neoclassical styles, meant an incursion into the modernist and industrial field, which was already looking with interest towards a mechanized future, which was already being heralded, among others, by the French scholar, Jules Verne, with his exciting novels, where, along with adventure, he also presented surprising inventions that would become a reality in a very near future.
Situated, moreover, in one of the many fantasy corners that, nevertheless, is part of that metaphorical garden of dreams and legends, which is, in short, the Retiro Park in Madrid, the Crystal Palace, in the end, is also one of those mimetic objects in which generations are reflected, which, in one way or another, always leave some testimony in the unfinished pages of History.
Testimonies, for those who wish to delve deeper, that were marked in the life and work of the great Spanish writers, belonging, above all, to the so-called Generations of 98 and 27, being one of the greatest works, the endearing novel by Pío Baroja, entitled 'Noches del Buen Retiro'.
Designed by the architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco - I wonder if this second surname is not related to the enigmatic Flemish painter, Hyeronimus Bosh, who was familiarly called 'the painter of demons' by his fellow citizens - it is said that the idea of its design was based on the Crystal Palace that the English architect, Joseph Paxton, built in London's Hyde Park, also on the occasion of the Industrial Works Exhibition, which already foresaw a look towards a new type of architecture.
Originally housing a space reserved for the conservation and development of exotic plants, this dream palace is currently part of the various outdoor venues of the Reina Sofía Museum and the cultural exhibitions that are constantly taking place inside it are truly brilliant.
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