It used to be a fortress:
If you went back in time to before the Royal Palace of Madrid was built, you’d find a Moorish fortress in the same location! In the 9th century, it was the site of the Alcázar of Madrid. By the 15th century, Spanish royalty had called it their own. In fact, Velázquez’s Las Meninas (1656) depicts the main chamber in the Royal Alcazar of Madrid during the reign of King Philip IV of Spain.
It burnt down
You can’t expect to find that same room from Velázquez’s Las Meninas today. In 1734 the Alcázar of Marid burnt down. The fire was so intense that it melted a number of silver objects (no easy feat, silver has a melting point of 961.8°C) and some precious stones had to be discarded.
Four years after the fire, Philip V ordered the construction of the current Royal Palace of Madrid in the same place. Construction spanned three decades with the first resident royal of the new palace – Charles III – in 1764.
It’s home to a rare collection of instruments
The name Stradivarius is synonymous with the highest quality and the Royal Palace of Madrid is home to the only string quintet of the ultra-rare musical instruments created by Italian geniuses, the Stradivari family.
The grand staircase is a single slab of marble
Sicilian architect Francesco Sabatini installed the grand staircase from one piece of San Agustin marble.
It has its own pharmacy
Why bother leaving home to pick up your medicine when you can build a pharmacy in the house? An in-house pharmacy was a luxury only royalty could afford.
