Royal Palace of Aranjuez

Aranjuez Cultural Landscape

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv
Reference	1044
Inscription	2001 (25th Session)

The Royal Palace of Aranjuez (Spanish: Palacio Real de Aranjuez) is a residence of the King of Spain, located in the town of Aranjuez (province of Madrid). The palace is open to the public as one of the Spanish royal sites.

It was commissioned by Philip II and designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera, who also designed El Escorial. It was completed during the reign of Ferdinand VI; Charles III had two wings added to it.

The huge gardens, built to relieve its royal residents from the dust and drought of the Spanish meseta using the waters of the adjacent Tagus and Jarama rivers, are Spain's most important of the Habsburg period. The Jardín de la Isla is on a man-made island bounded by the River Tagus and the Ria Canal.

Narcissus Fountain in the Prince's Garden

The Jardín del Principe contains a miniature palace (the Casa del Labrador, built for Charles IV) and the Museo de las Falúas Reales, housing the most important extant collection of Spain's royal pleasure barges.

The palace's important art and historical collections include the Museo de la Vida en Palacio, describing the daily lives of Spain's monarchs.

External links

• Media related to Palacio Real de Aranjuez at Wikimedia Commons
• Patrimonio Nacional | Royal Palace of Aranjuez
• Jardin del Palacio de Aranjuez - a Gardens Guide review
• Pictures of Royal Palace in Aranjuez