In the heart of the Retiro Park stands one of the most charming buildings in Madrid. The sun's rays hit the large windows of the Crystal Palace, creating a scene framed by greenery and fountains worthy of a fairy tale.
Although today it is a perfectly integrated element in the landscape of the park, the truth is that at the time of its construction it was very impressive. It is one of the best examples of architecture with new materials of the 19th century. By then, iron and glass began to be used, avant-garde materials that completely changed the rules of architecture.
A state-of-the-art greenhouse
The Crystal Palace, designed by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, stands out for its impressive glass wall that leaves an open and brightly lit interior. A space, in short, perfect for hosting all kinds of exhibitions.
That was the original function of the enclosure: the architect sought to create a greenhouse that would allow the exhibition of some very particular pieces. Between its huge windows and iron columns, all kinds of exotic plant species were housed on the occasion of the Flora Exhibition of the Philippine Islands in 1887, a year in which this territory was still under Spanish colonial rule.
However, the novelty of the Crystal Palace is relative, since it had a very special big brother. In the British capital, King Albert and Queen Victoria had already erected a very similar enclosure in Hyde Park for the Great World's Fair in 1851.
Like the Crystal Palace, London's Crystal Palace used iron and windows to create a space never seen before. However, unlike the one in Madrid, it has not been preserved to this day. A fire in 1936 destroyed it.
Today, however, the Palacio de Cristal del Retiro is part of the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and hosts a multitude of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. In turn, it is one of the heritage elements that make up the famous Landscape of Light, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
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