Spain

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro

WHS Score 2.9
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Votes 133 Average 2.99
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Votes for Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro

0.5

  • nan
  • Solivagant

1.0

  • Alexander Parsons
  • Hubert

1.5

  • Adrian Turtschi
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  • GabLabCebu
  • George Gdanski
  • HaraldOest
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  • sncjob
  • WILLIAM RICH

2.0

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  • Catoplayer
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  • Daniel C-Hazard
  • DL
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  • Ian Cade
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  • JobStopar
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  • Kasper
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  • Nolan B.
  • Philipp Leu
  • Purrfect
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  • Tarquinio_Superbo
  • VLabhard

2.5

  • Adolfo
  • Aitia
  • Alexander Lehmann
  • Alikander99
  • Aspasia
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  • Gary Arndt
  • Javier
  • J. Stevens
  • Kevin247
  • Lucio Gorla
  • Philipp Peterer
  • Randi Thomsen
  • Stanimir
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  • Viaje al Patrimonio
  • Wojciech Fedoruk
  • Zoë Sheng

3.0

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  • Kyle Magnuson
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  • Matejicek
  • MH
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  • Oscar Wu
  • Paola Laura
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  • tingmelvin
  • Tony H.

3.5

  • aleserre
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  • Emily Cullen
  • J_neveryes
  • ljowers
  • nikolamus
  • Pierre T
  • Xiquinho Silva

4.0

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  • Antonio J.
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  • Craig Harder
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4.5

  • Can SARICA
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  • matthewgibbs
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5.0

  • BobSmithseestheworld
  • chenboada
  • disnsam
  • History Fangirl
  • Inigo Cia
  • M. Huineman de la Cuadra
  • Persian Globetrotter
  • Semixs

The Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences, is an urban landscape of the enlightened absolutist period.

This green public space has evolved since the 18th century on the site of the former Buen Retiro palace and gardens. The idea was to provide citizens with access to the sciences and arts, in an area that is otherwise devoted to leisure. The property includes Retiro Park, the boulevard Paseo del Prado and the neighbourhood in between.

Community Perspective: Kyle has highlighted the three world-class museums that can be found here, Ilya finds it one of the most visually attractive boulevards in all of Europe, while Hubert found nothing special. Local Alikander zooms in on the seemingly harsh review the site got from ICOMOS.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences (ID: 1618)
Country
Spain
Status
Inscribed 2021 Site history
History of Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro
2015: Revision
Formerly on T List as Madrid - Prado Museum + Botanical Garden (1995)
2021: Advisory Body overruled
ICOMOS advised Deferral and focus on Paseo del Prado alone
2021: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • ii
  • iv
  • vi
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Cultural Landscape: Clearly defined
Travel Information
One million visitors or more
One million visitors or more
Big numbers for Spanish museums in 2024: the Prado, with nearly 3.5 million visitors, …
Madrid hotspot
Madrid hotspot
In Madrid
Recent Connections
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Connections of Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro
Individual People
  • Peter Paul Rubens
    "The Museo del Prado has the largest collection of Rubens' paintings, and one of the finest as well, and almost all of it comes from Spain's royal collections."

    See www.museodelprado.es

  • Ernest Hemingway
    Hemingway spent significant amounts of time in Madrid. He stayed in the Westin Palace hotel (in the core zone), praised the Prado museum and mentioned both the retiro and the botanical garden in his work "For whom the bell tolls" (During Robert Jordan’s daydreams, a park in Madrid with gardens and a wide variety of trees is mentioned, where he and Maria could be happy.)

    See www.esmadrid.com

Geography
Trivia
History
Ecology
Architecture
  • Grotesques
    Hall of Realms: "a ceiling covered in grotesques"

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Gothic
    The Church of San Jerónimo el Real was built in the late Gothic style with Renaissance elements

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Isabelline style
    The Church of San Jerónimo el Real : "in 1502 Isabella I granted the monks land on which to build a new monastery, which was built in Isabelline Gothic style" (wiki)

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Italian Architects outside Italy
    Puerta de alcalá by Francisco Sabatini.

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Glazed tiles
    Palacio de Velazquez makes prominent use of glazed tiles
  • French (formal) garden
    extensive gardens in the French, Italian and English styles (AB ev)
  • English garden
    extensive gardens in the French, Italian and English styles (AB ev)
  • Italian Renaissance garden
    extensive gardens in the French, Italian and English styles (AB ev)
  • Iron Structures
    The Atocha railway station, the crystal palace and the palacio de fomento showcase notable examples of iron architecture.
  • Carrara marble
    The central bank main building in Madrid has monumental stairs made out of Carrara marble.

    See www.madridiario.es

  • Neoclassical architecture
    The Prado museum, the royal observatory and the botanical garden were all designed by Juan de Villanueva, "the best known architect of Spanish Neoclassicism" (wiki)

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Baroque
    The Hall of Realms, the last remnant of the baroque Palace of "el buen Retiro".

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Architectural design competitions
    Hall of Realms : "The Prado Museum acquired the vacant building to display part of its collections and made its renovation the subject of an architectural competition. The brief was to redesign the space as part of the campus of the art museum for its 200th anniversary. It was won in 2016 by a scheme from the British firm Foster and Partners and the Spanish firm Rubio Arquitectura"

    See en.wikipedia.org

Damaged
  • Destroyed during invasion
    Most of the Retiro 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 in its grounds.
  • Terrorist Attacks
    Atocha Station, 2004 Madrid train bombings: (train number 21431) – Three bombs exploded at the station, 193 dead across the 10 bombs that exploded on that railway line that day

    See en.wikipedia.org

Human Activity
  • LGBTQ culture
    Madrid Pride, one of the biggest gay prides in Europe, takes place in the Paseo del Prado. In the AB ev, the Prado's alamedas are praised as an "early provision of green public space".

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Famous tapestries
    The Prado has a rich tapestry collection, most of which is of Royal origin. It includes almost all the important works of tapestry from Goya.

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Museum History
    Prado Museum: "The royal museum, which would soon become known as the National Museum of Painting and Sculpture, and subsequently the Museo Nacional del Prado, opened to the public for the first time in November 1819. It was created with the double aim of showing the works of art belonging to the Spanish Crown and to demonstrate to the rest of Europe that Spanish art was of equal merit to any other national school." and "It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on the former Spanish royal collection, and the single best collection of Spanish art." (wiki)

    See en.wikipedia.org

Constructions
  • Eternal Flames
    Monument to the Fallen for Spain, built in 1840. It has had an “eternal flame” since 1985.

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Significant Follies
    In the Reservado (“reserved” section) are follies such as the Casita del Pescador (Fisher’s Cottage) and Montaña Artificial (Artificial Mountain). (AB ev)
  • Monumental Fountains
    The heart of the Paseo del Prado lies between two major fountains, the Fuente de Cibeles at the northern end and the Fuente de Neptuno (AB ev)
  • Railways
    Atocha railway station
  • Hospitals
    Reina Sofia museum was built as a hospital and only ceased as such in 1969

    See en.m.wikipedia.org

  • Greenhouse
    Palacio de Cristal

    See www.atlasobscura.com

  • Historical Zoos
    House of Beasts of Retiro Park

    See www.atlasobscura.com

  • Equestrian Statues
    Equestrian of General Martínez Campos by Mariano Benlliure at the Retiro Park, 1907. And Equestrian of King Alfonso XII by Mariano Benlliure at the Retiro Park, 1909. (wiki List of equestrian statues in Spain)
  • Obelisk
    Obelisco Dos de mayo (1840) - a war memorial

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Cenotaph
    Monument to the Heroes of the Second of May

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Bandstand
    There is a famous bandstand at Retiro Park
  • Gates depicting Lions
    The Puerta de Alcalá has 3 lion heads on each side.
  • Sites of Parliament
    The Congreso de los diputados meets in the Palacio de las Cortes

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Sphinx
    Fuente egipcia

    See es.wikipedia.org

  • Notable Hotels
    The Ritz and Westin Palace were the very first hotels in Madrid. The Westin was built in 1912 at the former site of the palace of the Duke and Duchess of Medinaceli, and decorated in the same style as the grand Parisian buildings of the Belle Époque, it was, at the time, the largest and most luxurious hotel in Europe. It deserves a visit if only for its amazing stained glass dome. The Ritz (1910) was designed by French architect Charles Mewes and Spanish architect Luis de Landecho. It became one of the first in Madrid to use reinforced concrete in its construction. The most famous Spanish and foreign companies of the time contributed to the decoration of its rooms. Carpets were woven to order at Spain's Royal Tapestry Factory, linens were commissioned from Ireland and crockery and cutlery arrived from England.

    See www.historichotelsthenandnow.com

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Recent Visitors
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Visitors of Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro
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Community Reviews

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First published: 25/07/22.

Alikander99

Paseo Del Prado And Buen Retiro

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (Inscribed)

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro by Hubert

I make my Life in Madrid, so I know this world heritage site very well. I followed Its inscription closely and I was convinced It was going to be deferred. For better or worse It got accepted.

The sites essentially consista of two components: the retiro and the paseo del Prado, with the barrio de los jeronimos acting as a Bridge between the two.

Let's start with the Paseo del Prado. In It's review Icomos isn't as harsh as one might think. The prado avenue IS widely regarded as the first "alameda", a tree lined avenue of public use typical in hispanic cities. The integrity is questionable (alameda means poplar forest and there are no poplars left) but the general idea is still there and Icomos brought the concept as I personally do too.

Furthermore, as the name implies, this area was chosen by Charles III to build a space for arts and sciences. As a quick note, this project played an important role in the introduction of neoclasicism in Spain. Some of the institutions founded still mantain their scientific or artistic use. Probably the most true to It's original value is the botanical garden, which tbh IS small and not overly impressive, but It's quite historically relevant, given its many conections with latin America. It's at It's core what the site would like to be...and isn't. most sites here are relics of the past. They changed functions long ago, though their unimpressive and common neoclasical architecture …

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First published: 03/08/21.

Matejicek

Paseo Del Prado And Buen Retiro

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (Inscribed)

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro by Matejicek

You are the first I dare to tell a secret to: I prefer Madrid to Barcelona! Therefore, I gave relatively very high rating to this Prado/Buen Retiro "double" site.

I visited Madrid two times for a weekend trip (in 2004 and 2011), and I take Madrid, together with Berlin, as an epitome of modern European capital. Well, the historical core with Plaza Mayor is quite nice but nothing special. However, Madrid I like starts at Puerta del Sol: then follow Calle de Alcala or (via a short detour) Gran Via, both flanked by monumental buildings, and you enter the core zone of this WHS, which has been already described by others, and I guess that almost everybody has heard already about Prado museum. Somebody can have an objection that only some museums with a boring park have been inscribed. I would oppose that I appreciated the qualities of this site even without an urge to enter any building. From the museums, I visited only Reina Sofia during my first visit, and it, of course, does not contribute to the OUV. I would oppose even the suggestion of ICOMOS to cut this site into two pieces: the avenue and the park. It does not make a sense to me, and I like the site as it has been inscribed.

All in all, this is not an absolute world-class, but it has its place on the list and I can understand its OUV.

(PHOTO - Atocha railway station)

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First published: 01/04/21.

Jakob Frenzel

Paseo Del Prado And Buen Retiro

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (Inscribed)

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro by Jakob Frenzel

April 2017 - at the end of our honeymoon trip through Andaluzia we took the train to Madrid and flew back from there. It was the same price as flying back from Sevilla directly. The Renfe entered Madrid early in the morning, we stored our baggage at the train station and took a long walk along the Prado and through the Retiro park. It was marathon that day so in the Park we could spot some athletes who either were done or gave up early. The park is nice, it has a giant lake, a wonderful greenhouse and some representative building, but I guess it is comparable to other city parks in Europe. We enjoyed way more Madrids early skyscrapers, the castle and our last tapas for that trip. Happy we visited another European capital, though.

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First published: 11/02/21.

Hubert

Paseo Del Prado And Buen Retiro

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (Inscribed)

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro by Hubert

Madrid is certainly the most prominent member of the club "European capitals without World Heritage Site". Spain is densely covered with WHS, almost every region and island has at least one site inscribed, but the capital has so far been left empty-handed. And after my three-day stay in Madrid I would say: rightly so. However, the Spanish authorities seem to disagree and nominated the Site of the Retiro and the Prado for decision at the WHC in 2020, postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.

For centuries, the proposed area was outside the city walls, today it is the green heart of Madrid. The Parque del Buen Retiro emerged from the grounds of the Buen Retiro Palace built by the Habsburg dynasty. The palace was destroyed in the Napoleonic Wars and never rebuilt, in the 19th century the gardens were opened to the public. The rectangular artificial lake is the centre of El Retiro and also one of only a few remains from the time of the royal palace. I liked the Palacio de Cristal best (photo), it reminded me of the wonderful greenhouses at Kew Gardens in London. But in Madrid are no plants on display; the building is used for temporary art exhibitions.
The park is very popular with the residents of Madrid, for sports and sunbathing, there are row boats for hire and playgrounds for the kids - a typical city park. It was quite busy when I visited on a hot Sunday morning in May …

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First published: 10/04/19.

Ilya Burlak

Paseo Del Prado And Buen Retiro

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (Inscribed)

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro by Ilya Burlak

I've been to Madrid many times over the years and on each occasion I take time to walk the length of Paseo del Prado from Plaza de Cibeles to the Atocha train station. It must be one of the most visually attractive boulevards in all of Europe. It is home to exceptional art museums, magnificent architecture, and plenty of things to catch your eye.

The stunning Palacio de Cibeles is one of the iconic sights of Madrid; the grandiose architecture is curiously discordant with the building's original unglamorous purpose as the headquarters of the Spanish Postal Service. Definitely step in to admire its Art Deco interior and ascend to the mirador for great views over the city. The other "bookend" of this stretch, Atocha, is one of the great European train stations, also worth an extended look. Museo del Prado is among the greatest art museums in the world, worth the price of admission just for its collection of Goya and Velasquez, not to mention its other many treasures. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza offers another superb art collection. And Museo Reina Sofía is primarily famous for exhibiting Picasso's Guernica, but if you are into modern art, you will find a lot of other works of value in its collection.

These are just the most obvious points of interest, but there are also eye-catching fountains, a beautiful botanic garden, and several other striking specimens of Art Deco. Puerta de Alcalá, a couple of blocks off Paseo del Prado at the …

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First published: 28/07/18.

Kyle Magnuson

Paseo Del Prado And Buen Retiro

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (Inscribed)

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro by Kyle Magnuson

There are 3 world class museums on the Paseo del Prado which form an integral part of this property. Referred to as the "Golden Triangle of Art" these museums are vast collections of priceless works spanning nearly a millennia of artistic creations.

Each museum holds icons of European art, unquestionably. One of the foremost is Guernica by Pablo Picasso. There are countless other masterpieces worth noting by Dali, Goya, Bosch, Dürer, and El Greco. Cumulatively these 3 museums take in about 7-8 million visitors per year. Each building has its own history as well, the Prado opened its doors in 1819. Reina Sofia is located in the former General Hospital of Madrid which was built in the late 18th century. The Thyssen-Bornemisza was previously known as Villahermosa Palace.

Museo del Prado - Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza - Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

The second key component of this property is Parque del Buen Retiro. This public park, with a royal background is about 40% of the size of Central Park in New York. Within the park are the Velázquez Palace and Palacio de Cristal, which now are primarily used for art installations. The Monument to King Alfonso XII (pictured) is quite stunning in its location overlooking the gorgeous artificial pond. The park is utilized well by the people of Madrid. At any given moment, you will see picnickers, joggers, walkers, and lovers. I was fortunate to stay only 15 minutes from the park and I thoroughly enjoyed …

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