2. Where is it? What is it?
It is located in Bailen Street in the western part of downtown Madrid, east of the
Manzanares river and it is accessible from the Opera metro station. Is the official
residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, but it is only used for state
ceremonies. King Felipe VI and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, they live in
the modest Palace of Zarzuela ,on the outskirts of Madrid.
Old Queen Sofia Old King Juan Carlos I
King Felipe VI Princess Sofia
Princess Leonor Queen Letizia
This is the royal family.
3. History
The palace was located on the site of a 9th century Alcazar constructed as an outpost by Muhammand I of
Cordoba and inherited after 1036 by Moorish Taifa of Toledo. After Madrid fell to King Alfonso VI of Castile
in 1083, the edifice was only rarely used by the kings of Castile. In 1329, King Alfonso XI of Castile
convened the cortes of Madrid for the first time. King Felipe II moved his court to Madrid in 1561.
The old Alcazar was built on the location in the 16th century. After it burned in 24th of December 1734,
King Felipe V ordered a new palace built on the same site. King Carlos III first occupied the new palace in
1764. The last monarch who lived continuously in the palace was King Alfonso XIII, president of the
Second Republic, also inhabited it, making him the last head of state to do so. During that period, the
palace was known as “Palacio Nacional”.
4. Today
The palace has 135,000 square metres of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms
and it is the largest royal palace in Europe by floor area. The interior of the palace
is notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in the
construction and the decoration of its rooms. These include paintings by famous
artists and frescoes.
