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Castles in Madrid
Madrid offers much in the way of historic sites and one not to be missed is the nearby Manzanares el Real Castle, a Medieval solitary fortress, which contains all of the charm and elegance of a Renaissance castle. During the 14th and 15th Centuries it was the home of one of Spain’s most powerful families, the Mendozas. It is set amongst some breathtaking scenery close to La Pedriza and Santillana Reservoir. In addition to its Renaissance style there are elements of Mudejar and late Gothic architecture. It contains Moorish furniture and tapestries as well as armour and historic objects from a variety of periods.
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El Escorial
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Address: Calle de Juan de Borbon y Battemberg, s/n
Phone: +34 91 890 59 02
e-mail: info@patrimonionacional.es
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Price: 0 - 9 EUR
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Website: http://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/escorial/escorial.htm
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El Escorial is one of the most impressive royal sites in Spain and in the same time a major tourist attraction. The complex, officially named Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1984 - a recognition for its extraordinary cultural and historical value. The complex itself consists of two major parts – the monastery and the royal palace. It was built by idea of King Philip II in the late 16th Century. The construction spread over more than 20 years under the guidance of the renowned architects Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera, who have designed many other state buildings throughout Spain.
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Castle of Buitrago del Lozoya
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Address: Buitrago del Lozoya
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The Castle of Buitrago del Lozoya lies at the foot of Sierra de Guadarrama on the bank of the Lozoya River. In spite of its proximity to Madrid (approximately 70 kilometres) this castle is far from being a major tourist attraction, unlike its counterparts in Manzanares and Aranjuez, for example. Nevertheless, there is a lot that visitors can see and admire in this well preserved fortress which dates back to the 15th Century. The castle was built by the local nobleman Diego Hurtado de Mendoza in Gothic style, which was later complemented by numerous Mudejar elements, and nowadays the construction is considered as a Gothic-Mudejar monument. The Castle of Buitrago del Loyoza is recognised as the best preserved fortified enclosure in the whole autonomous community of Madrid, together with the wall surrounding part of the pre-Roman settlement, Litabrum. For this reason, in 1949 the castle was declared a National Historical Monument.
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Royal Palace of Madrid
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Address: Calle Bailen s/n
Phone: +34 91 454 88 00
e-mail: info@patrimonionacional.es
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Price: 0 - 8 EUR
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Website: http://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/preal/preal.htm
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The Royal Palace of Madrid, or Palacio Real de Madrid, is among the highlights of every sightseeing tour of the Spanish capital. The imposing construction is the official residence of the King of Spain, although nowadays the Royal Family does not live in it. However, it is still used for official ceremonies and other state occasions. The Royal Palace boasts long and dynamic history.
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Royal Palace of Aranjuez
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Address: Plaza de Parejas
Phone: +34 91 891 13 44
e-mail: info@patrimonionacional.es
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Price: 0 - 6 EUR
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Website: http://www.patrimonionacional.es/
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The Royal Palace of Aranjuez is situated in marvellous surroundings between the rivers Tagus and Jarama, near the town of Aranjuez, only 48 kilometres south of Madrid. The palace represents a major tourist attraction due to its proximity to the capital, and at the same time this cultural and historical monument is of immense importance. For this reason it was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 2001. The impressive construction we see today boasts a long building history, during which it was expanded and renovated several times.
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Castle of Manzanares El Real
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Address: Manzanares El Real
Phone: +34 63 917 96 02
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Price: 0 - 1.8 EUR
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The Castle of Manzanares El Real is situated next to the town by the same name some 50 kilometres north of the Spanish capital, within the autonomous community of Madrid. The Medieval fortress was constructed by one of the most powerful families in Castilla in the 15th Century, the Mendozas. The founder was Inigo Lopez de Mendoza, the first Marquis of Santillana, who began building the castle in 1475. It is a proud example of Spanish military architecture from the Middle Ages with its quadrangular form with four towers in the corners. The towers themselves are decorated with a number of smaller cylindrical towers. The largest one is known as the Homage Tower and is crowned with a smaller octagonal tower. Between the four fortified walls, there is the inner courtyard called Patio de Armas, surrounded by corridors with arcades. The style in which the castle is built is referred to as Gothic-Mudejar with Renaissance and Moorish influence.
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Castle of Villaviciosa de Odon
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Address: Villaviciosa de Odon
Phone: +34 91 616 08 06
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The Castle of Villaviciosa de Odon is situated in the town by the same name in the southwestern end of the autonomous community of Madrid. The massive construction is currently closed for public visits to ensure better preservation. It is also home to the Museum of the Spanish Air Force. The fortress itself was constructed in the late 15th and early 16th Century, starting in 1496 by the Marquis de Moya, Andres Cabrera and Beatriz Fernandez de Bobadilla, and was completed around 1520. Over the course of time, it has been renovated several times, with its original style and architecture being kept intact.
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Castle of Batres
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Address: Batres
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Website: http://www.batres.es/inicio.htm
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The Castle of Batres is situated at the entrance of the township by the same name, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Madrid and not far from the border of the community of Toledo. The building, which represents a kind of combination of castle, palace and fortification, was constructed during the 15th and 16th Centuries by a row of Batres noblemen who used it as a residence. Later, the ownership of the castle and adjoining land passed to the Counts of Onate and the Marquises of Riscal in rapid succession. At that time became the Escuela de Jardineria y Paisajismo, a gardeners school, where gardeners and landscape architects were taught. In general, the castle has been excellently preserved due to its declaration as a National Historical Monument in the 1980s, when a major restoration and renovation process was carried out by the architect Luis Moreno de Cala.
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Castle of Chinchon
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Address: Regimiento de Leon 14
Phone: +34 91 893 53 23
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The Medieval Castle of Chinchon is a major tourist attraction of the municipality by the same name, although it is not well-known within the country or abroad. This fortress is one of the two constructions of this type in Chinchon, along with the Castle of Casasola, and consists of two quadrangular bodies, each with cylindrical towers in the four corners. The castle was built in the second half of the 15th Century by the Count of Chinchon, and it has remained as their property ever since. Due to several renovations in the 20th Century, the castle has maintained its original look and is perfectly preserved. Visits are permitted only around the fortress, but not in the interior.
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