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42-566: The park is located at the edge of the city centre, near both the Puerta de Alcalá and the Museo del Prado , and covers 1.4 km (350 acres). It has gardens, monuments, galleries, an artificial lake, and event-hosting venues. In 2021, Buen Retiro Park became part of a combined UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes Paseo del Prado . In 1505, the Jeronimites monastery was moved to

84-794: A war in Cuba and Muslim uprisings in Spanish Morocco . In the midst of these crises, the Carlist War continued and the Carlist party made itself strong in areas with claims over their national and institutional specificity such as Catalonia and the Basque Country . This unrest led to the creation of a group in favour of the Bourbon Restoration , led by the moderate conservative Antonio Cánovas del Castillo . Alfonso

126-457: A captain of the guard. Others have assigned the fatherhood to Federico Puig Romero, a colonel who was murdered under unclear circumstances in 1866. The relationship of the queen with Puigmoltó was so much of a public hearsay at the time that Francisco de Asís initially refused to attend the baptism ceremony of Alfonso (the heir apparent), though he was eventually forced to do so. These rumours were used as political propaganda against Alfonso by

168-778: A century (see History of Spain (1808–1874) ). Both Europe (the coastal regions, such as the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Asturias) and the colonies in the Antilles and Pacific were able to grow steadily. Cuba and Puerto Rico prospered to the point that Spain's first train was not in Spain proper but between Havana and Güines in Cuba, and the first telegraph in Latin America was in Puerto Rico, established by Samuel Morse , whose daughter and son-in-law lived there. Upon

210-531: A coup aimed at placing the military in the political-administrative positions of power, in reality ushered in a civilian regime that lasted until Primo de Rivera 's 1923 coup d'état. Cánovas was the real architect of the new regime of the Restoration. In 1881 Alfonso refused to sanction a law by which the ministers were to remain in office for a fixed term of 18 months. Upon the consequent resignation of Cánovas del Castillo, he summoned Práxedes Mateo Sagasta ,

252-635: A new Isabelline Gothic -style building at the present-day site of the Church of Saint Jerome the Royal . The royal family had a retreat built as part of the new church. King Philip II (ruled 1556–1598) moved the Spanish court to Madrid in 1561. Philip had the Retiro enlarged under the direction of his architect Juan Bautista de Toledo , who also formally laid out tree-lined avenues. The gardens were extended in

294-461: A new dynasty on the throne. Prince Amadeo of Savoy , the younger son of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and a distant cousin of Alfonso by common descent from Charles III , was recognized as King of Spain in November 1870. During a tumultuous reign, Amadeo was targeted by assassination attempts and struggled with opposition from both Carlists and republicans while his own faction split. After

336-457: A number of Spanish nobles who had tied their fortunes to those of the exiled queen. He assumed the name Alfonso XII, for although no king of united Spain had borne the name "Alfonso", the Spanish monarchy was regarded as continuous with the more ancient monarchy represented by the 11 kings of Asturias , León and Castile also named Alfonso . After the revolution, the Cortes decided to set up

378-696: A venue for various international exhibitions. Several themed buildings have remained as a testament to such events, including the Mining Building, popularly known as the Velázquez Palace (1884) by architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco , who designed the Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace), a glass pavilion inspired by The Crystal Palace in London , undoubtedly the gardens' most extraordinary building. Built along with its artificial pond in 1887 for

420-659: Is a Neo-classical gate in the Plaza de la Independencia in Madrid , Spain . It was a gate of the former Walls of Philip IV . It stands near the city center and several meters away from the main entrance to the Parque del Buen Retiro . The square is bisected by Alcalá Street , although the street does not cross through the monument, and it is the origin of the Alfonso XII, Serrano and Olózaga streets. Its name originates from

462-563: Is claimed that this statue is the only known public monument of Satan. The few remaining buildings of the Buen Retiro Palace , including Casón del Buen Retiro and the Salon de Reinos , now house museum collections. The Casón has a collection of 19th- and 20th-century paintings, including art by the Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla . Since assuming its role as a public park in the late 19th century, Buen Retiro Park has been used as

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504-590: The American invasion of Puerto Rico , ten US dollars were needed to buy one Puerto Rican peso. On 23 January 1878 at the Basilica of Atocha in Madrid, Alfonso married his first cousin, Princess María de las Mercedes , but she died within five months of the marriage. On 29 November 1879 at the Basilica of Atocha in Madrid , Alfonso married his double third cousin, Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria . During

546-515: The Carlists , and he came to be widely nicknamed "Puigmoltejo" in reference to his supposed father. His mother's accession had created a second cause of instability, the Carlist Wars , where the supporters of Don Carlos, Count of Molina as King of Spain rose to have him enthroned. In addition, within the context of the post-Napoleonic restorations and revolutions which engulfed Europe and

588-732: The Royal Palace , sculpted between 1750 and 1753. There are art galleries in the Crystal Palace, Palacio de Velázquez and Casa de Vacas . Also in the Retiro Park is the Forest of Remembrance ( Bosque del recuerdo ), a memorial monument to commemorate the 191 victims of the 2004 Madrid train bombings . Every Sunday from late May through early October, the Banda Sinfónica de Madrid gives free midday concerts from

630-707: The bandstand in the park near the Calle de Alcalá. Manuel Lillo Torregrosa composed Kiosko del Retiro for this bandstand. The park features an annual Book Fair where people can drop off or sell their used books, magazines, or newspapers. Events throughout the year include concerts, firework shows, and holiday festivals, and cultural events. Retiro Park also has specific outdoor exercise areas for young and old people. The elderly exercise area includes stretching equipment and bicycle pedals. The youth area includes bars for triceps dips, pull-ups, and sit-ups, as well as large stones that locals have brought to use as weights. Around

672-442: The 1620s, when Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares , gave the king several tracts of adjacent land for the court's recreational use. Olivares, with the king's permission, drew up plans for a royal residence far more grand than the existing villas, which had been built for Roman nobles. Although this second royal residence was to be built in what were then outlying areas of Madrid, it would also be in an ideal location, not far from

714-825: The Americas, both the Carlistas and the Isabelino conservatives were opposed to the new Napoleonic constitutional system. Much like in Britain, which subtracted itself from the liberal constitutional process, Spanish conservatives wanted to continue with the traditional Organic Laws, such as the Fuero Juzgo , the Novísima Recopilación and the Partidas of Alfonso X . This led to a third cause of instability,

756-766: The Carlists revolted and the Third Carlist War broke out, he abdicated and returned to Italy in early 1873. Following Amadeo's abandonment, the First Spanish Republic was established, including the territories of Cuba , Puerto Rico and the Pacific Archipelagos. The first act of President Estanislao Figueras was to extend the abolition of slavery to Puerto Rico; Cuban slaves would have to wait until 1889. The republicans were not in agreement either, and they had to contend with

798-730: The Liberal leader, to form a new cabinet. In order to eliminate one of the problems of the reign of Isabel II , the single party and its destabilizing consequences, the Liberal Party was allowed to incorporate and participate in national politics, and the ' turnismo ' or alternation was to become the new system. Turnismo would be endorsed in the Constitution of 1876 and the Pact of El Pardo (1885). It meant that liberal and conservative prime ministers would succeed each other ending thus

840-708: The Peacemaker ), was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885. After the Glorious Revolution of 1868 deposed his mother Isabella II from the throne, Alfonso studied in Austria and France. His mother abdicated in his favour in 1870, and he returned to Spain as king in 1874 following a military coup against the First Spanish Republic . Alfonso died aged 27 in 1885, leaving his pregnant widow, Maria Christina of Austria , as regent of Spain. Their son, Alfonso XIII , became king upon his birth

882-554: The Philippine Islands Exhibitions, the Palacio de Cristal was first used to display flower species indigenous to the archipelago. The landscape-style gardens in the former Campo Grande are also a reminder of the international exhibitions that have taken place here in the past. The Paseo de la Argentina, also known as Paseo de las Estatuas (Statue Walk), is decorated with some of the statues of kings from

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924-521: The President resigned, and his power was transferred to the king's plenipotentiary and adviser, Cánovas. With Cánovas disapproval (he detested the intervention of the military in politics), the 29 December 1875 pronunciamento of Gen. Martínez Campos in Sagunto ended the failed republic and meant the rise of the young Prince Alfonso. Within a few days after Cánovas del Castillo took power as Premier,

966-616: The Retiro Pond lake, many puppet shows, street performers, and fortune tellers perform. Rowboats can be rented to paddle around the Estanque, and horse-drawn carriages are available. Retiro is home to multiple city-managed sports courts and several playground areas. The inside of the Palacio de Cristal has been modified to include a stone slide. Major paths and walkways in the park are used by families, runners, bikers and rollerbladers. Puerta de Alcal%C3%A1 The Puerta de Alcalá

1008-419: The affection of his people by fearlessly visiting districts ravaged by cholera or devastated by the 1884 Andalusian earthquake . His capacity for dealing with men was considerable, and he never allowed himself to become the instrument of any particular party. During his short reign, peace was established both at home and abroad, finances were well regulated, and the various administrative services were placed on

1050-451: The court. The gardens were initially neglected after the death of Philip IV in 1665, but have been restored and changed on many occasions. Philip V ordered the creation of a parterre , the only French-style garden in the complex. During the reign of Ferdinand VI , Buen Retiro was the setting for Italian operas. Charles III ( r.  1759–1788 ) ordered the replacement of the old walls with wrought-iron railings. The Buen Retiro Palace

1092-543: The existing alcázar . In the 1630s, the palace buildings were constructed under the supervision of the architects Giovanni Battista Crescenzi and Alonso Carbonell. Two of the buildings remain today: the Casón del Buen Retiro , which served as a ballroom, and the Hall of Realms . The Count-Duke of Olivares commissioned the park in the 1630s. It was designed by Cosimo Lotti , a landscaper and engineer who had previously worked on

1134-477: The following year. Maria Christina continued as regent until Alfonso XIII came of age in 1902. Alfonso was born in Madrid as the eldest son of the reigning Queen Isabella II on 28 November 1857. His official father, Isabella's husband Francisco de Asís , has been generally viewed as effeminate, impotent or homosexual, leading writers to question his biological paternity. There is speculation that Alfonso's biological father may have been Enrique Puigmoltó y Mayans,

1176-687: The goal of shaping him into the ideal king for the planned Bourbon Restoration, and next sent him to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst , in England. The training he received there was severe but more cosmopolitan than it would have been in Spain, given its atmosphere at the time. On 1 December 1874, Alfonso issued the Sandhurst Manifesto , where he set the ideological basis of the Bourbon Restoration. It

1218-570: The honeymoon, a pastry cook named Otero fired at the young sovereign and his wife as they were driving in Madrid. The children of this marriage were: Alfonso had two sons by Elena Armanda Nicolasa Sanz y Martínez de Arizala (15 December 1849, in Castellón de la Plana – 24 December 1898, in Paris): In November 1885, Alfonso died aged 27 at the Royal Palace of El Pardo near Madrid. He had been suffering from tuberculosis , but

1260-457: The immediate cause of his death was a recurrence of dysentery . In 1902, his widow Maria Cristina initiated a national contest to build a monument in memory of Alfonso . The winning design, by José Grases Riera , was constructed in an artificial lake in Madrid's Parque del Buen Retiro in 1922. Coming to the throne at such an early age, Alfonso had served no apprenticeship in the art of ruling. Benevolent and sympathetic in disposition, he won

1302-629: The independence of most of the American possessions, recognized between 1823 and 1850. When Queen Isabella II and her husband were forced to leave Spain by the Revolution of 1868 , Alfonso accompanied them to Paris. From there, he was sent to the Theresianum in Vienna to continue his studies. On 25 June 1870, he was recalled to Paris, where his mother abdicated in his favour, in the presence of

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1344-544: The layout of the Boboli Gardens . The layout of the gardens were defined by key water features, including the great pond, the great canal, the narrow channel, and the chamfered (or bellflower) pond. Buen Retiro became the center of Habsburg court life for much of the Spanish Golden Age . During the reigns of Philip IV and Charles II , several plays were performed in the park for the royal family and

1386-669: The monarch on top of a tall central core. The Rosaleda (Rose Garden) is an early 20th-century feature inspired by the Bagatelle rose garden in the Bois de Boulogne . Beside the roses stands the Fountain of the Fallen Angel , erected in 1922, whose main sculpture El Angel Caído is a work by Ricardo Bellver (1845–1924) inspired by a passage from John Milton 's Paradise Lost , which represents Lucifer falling from Heaven. It

1428-469: The new king, proclaimed on 29 December 1874, arrived at Madrid , passing through Barcelona and Valencia and was acclaimed everywhere (1875). In 1876, a vigorous campaign against the Carlists , in which the young king took part, resulted in the defeat of Don Carlos and the Duke's abandonment of the struggle. Initially led by Cánovas del Castillo as moderate prime minister, what was thought at one time as

1470-421: The old path from Madrid to the nearby town of Alcalá de Henares . Madrid in the late 18th century still looked like a somewhat drab borough, surrounded by medieval walls. Around the year 1774, King Charles III commissioned Francesco Sabatini to construct a monumental gate in the city wall through which an expanded road to the city of Alcalá was to pass, replacing an older, smaller, gate that stood nearby. It

1512-474: The park, converting it into an open-air sculpture museum. New gardens were created during the 1930s and 1940s, attributed to Chief Gardener Cecilio Rodriguez, who also built the rose garden. Close to the northern entrance of the park is the Estanque del Retiro (Retirement Pond), a large artificial pond. Nearby is the monument to King Alfonso XII , featuring a semicircular colonnade and an equestrian statue of

1554-476: The troubles. This led to the end of the Carlist revolts and the victory over the New York-backed Cuban revolutionaries, and led to a huge backing both by insular and peninsular Spaniards of Alfonso. Alfonso's short reign established the foundations for the final socioeconomic recuperation of Spain, bringing an end to the political instability that had dominated Spain for the past two-thirds of

1596-413: Was drafted in reply to a birthday greeting from his followers, a manifesto proclaiming himself the sole representative of the Spanish monarchy. At the end of 1874, Brigadier Martínez Campos , who had long been working more or less openly for the king, led some battalions of the central army to Sagunto , rallied the troops sent against him to his own flag, and entered Valencia in the king's name. Thereupon

1638-728: Was inaugurated in 1778. The ornamental details were sculpted by Francisco Gutiérrez and Roberto Michel  [ es ] , and made of white stone from Colmenar . The architectural elements are chiefly made of granite from Segovia . The central plaque reads rege carolo iii anno mdcclxxviii . 40°25′12″N 3°41′20″W  /  40.42000°N 3.68889°W  / 40.42000; -3.68889 Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 1857 – 25 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador (Spanish:

1680-587: Was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution , the gardens became publicly-owned. In 1883, the park hosted the Exposición Nacional de Minería . 14 hectares of the park served as fairgrounds of the 1887 Philippines Exposition, which included a human zoo. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Monument to Alfonso XII of Spain , designed by José Grases Riera , was built next to the pond. Countless statues, fountains and commemorative monuments have filled

1722-699: Was used until the era of Charles III. Juan de Villanueva's Astronomical Observatory was built during the reign of Charles IV ( r.  1788–1808 ). Most of the palace and its gardens were destroyed during the Peninsular War (1807–1814) when the troops of the First French Empire built the Citadel of Madrid on park grounds. The park went through many changes during Queen Isabella II's reign. More trees were planted and previously unplanted areas were landscaped. In 1868, when Queen Isabella

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1764-528: Was well-educated and cultured, especially compared to his mother. His tutors took great care to have him educated in good schools and to familiarize him with different cultures, languages and government models throughout Europe. During the Franco-Prussian War , Alfonso relocated from Paris to Geneva with his family, and then continued his studies at the Theresianum in Vienna in 1872. Cánovas began to take responsibility for Alfonso's education with

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