Plan a visit to the Casón del Buen Retiro when touring the many attractions located in Madrid’s Retiro neighborhood. Admire the neoclassical architecture and artistic flair of this 17th-century building, which has an interesting history. Take photos of the Casón del Buen Retiro with gardens, royal gateways and statues in the foreground. Then visit some of Madrid’s finest galleries, museums and parks.
Erected in 1637, the mansion was originally one of the buildings of the Buen Retiro Palace, a royal complex that occupied much of the present-day El Retiro Park. In its almost 400-year history it has functioned as a ballroom, gallery and senate chamber. Today it is the library and study center of the Prado Museum and stores over 70,000 books available to researchers, museum staff and students. Inside, Luca Giordano’s fresco Alegoría del Tolsón Oro decorates the ceiling of the main hall.
Spend time studying the mansion’s exterior, which is a re-modeling of the original undertaken in the 1800s. One of the architects responsible was Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, who designed the Palacio de Cristal, a conservatory also located in the Buen Retiro Park.
Greek-style columns, pediments and pilasters decorate the western façade of the mansion. On the eastern side, steps lead to an entrance made up of three arched doorways, above which is a balcony fronted by six columns.
Look for other remarkable landmarks situated close to the mansion. In front of the east side is the Statue of María Cristina de Borbón, the wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. This bronze statue stands on a pedestal adorned with coats of arms and carvings of lion heads. A short walk from the opposite side is the Baroque-style Puerta de Felipe IV. This is the oldest and among the most emblematic gateways to El Retiro Park.
The Casón del Buen Retiro is less than 10 minutes by foot from Paseo del Prado, where several city bus lines stop. You can also take the metro to either the Estación del Arte or Retiro station and then walk from there.
