Royal Palace of Aranjuez | |
Palacio Real de Aranjuez (Spanish) | |
There was a palace's military order, after the royal palace | |
Country | Spain |
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Autonomous community | Community of Madrid |
Comarca | Las Vegas |
Municipality | Aranjuez |
Architects | Juan Bautista de Toledo, Juan de Herrera, Francesco Sabatini, Giuseppe Gricci, Rafael Contreras Muñoz. |
Style | Renaissance, French Empire style, Rococo, neo-Nasrid, Queen Isabel II style. |
Established | Exclusive property for the monarch: 1523 |
- Initiated | 16th century |
- Completion | 18th century |
For public | Public |
Visitation | Open (are not allowed photos of its interior) |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
Name | Aranjuez Cultural Landscape |
Year | 2001 (#25) |
Number | 1044 |
Region | Europe and North America |
Criteria | ii, iv |
Heritage designation | Spanish Property of Cultural Interest |
Registration name | Palacio Real de Aranjuez |
Reference no. | RI-51-0001063 |
Designated | 1931 |
The Royal Palace of Aranjuez (Spanish: Palacio Real de Aranjuez) is a former royal residence of Spanish royalty. Located 50km south of Madrid in the town of Aranjuez, it is open to the public as one of several Spanish royal sites in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It was established around the time Philip II of Spain moved the capital from Toledo to Madrid. Aranjuez became one of four seasonal seats of government, occupied during the springtime (from about holy week). Thereafter, the court moved successively to Rascafría, El Escorial, and wintered in Madrid.
Several were signed in this palace and several members of the royal family died here, including:
In 1931, during the Second Spanish Republic, the area was declared an Artistic Historical Monument and opened to the public. The palace, gardens and associated buildings are part of the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Cultural Organization in 2001.
Management of the palace is entrusted to the Spanish Patrimonio Nacional which does not allow private photography of its interior for security reasons. However, licenses may be available for specific purposes upon application.
The area around Aranjuez enjoys a mild climate, a verdant and varied landscape with excellent Game hunting and so has long been inhabited. In the 12th century the Order of Santiago created an exclusive hunting reserve alongside the river Tagus near its junction with the river Jarama.