Royal Palace of Aranjuez, Spain
The seasons have long been important for the Spanish Royal Family. It makes sense when you consider the extremes between different times of the year and different parts of the country.
The season can have a huge effect on a lot of things⦠your general disposition one of those things, and that shouldnāt be quickly discounted.
And so it was for many centuries that the Spanish royals simply moved their court (and hence the seat of government) four times a year to different locations that were best suited for the particular season.
In springtime, the court moved to Aranjuez and itās here that we find the magnificent Royal Palace of Aranjuez still standing, as stunning as ever.
The history of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez
The palace was established in the 16th century under King Philip II, although the site had already been in use by the royals for almost a hundred years as a hunting ground. Philip II was the first champion of Aranjuez but, when he died, construction was abandoned.
Thankfully there were more champions waiting to take his place. Construction restarted in 1700 under King Philip V with a plan to make it rival the Palace of Versailles.
After a devastating fire, King Ferdinand VI rebuilt Aranjuez in a late Baroque style. And it was King Charles III who put the finishing touches on the palace in the late 1700s and made it how we see it today.
Once you go inside, what you still see today is incredible. The rooms are decorated in such luxurious detail, each with their own style, it feels as though you are in an art gallery where you walk through centuries of royal vogues.
But I canāt show you any of that. I wish I could but the Royal Palace of Aranjuez has a silly rule that prohibits photography. Itās one of my pet peeves and Iāll write more about photography policies sometime, I promise.
For now, though, you will have to trust me that the Porcelain Room is unlike anything you have ever seen before.
The Royal Gardens of Aranjuez
So, because I canāt show you the interior of the palace, let me show you the gardens.
And, actually, this may be a bit of a blessing in disguise because they donāt often get the same attention as the building but they are quite remarkable and are one of the main reasons why the Aranjuez Palace has been named a World Heritage Site, while most of the other Spanish royal sites havenāt been.
There are three main gardens attached to the palace and each has its own distinct style.
The Parterre Garden
Directly to the east of the main palace building – at what is considered the rear these days – is the Parterre Garden. Itās the most manicured of the three and has carefully-arranged flowerbeds, short hedge boxes, smooth statues, curving paths and large beautiful fountains.
The Parterre Garden is not large and does not take long to walk through. It was always designed to be private and intimate.
The Island Garden
Connected by a small bridge over a canal, just to the north of the main palace building, is the Island Garden. It does technically sit on an island created by two diverging flows of the Tagus River but you donāt get that impression when youāre in it.
The Island Garden is large, with the main axis more than 500 metres long. Taller hedges and trees with thick collections of leaves mean you can never see too far in any direction.
Even the main paths through the garden are interrupted by wonderful fountains – not large but detailed and meaningful.
The Princeās Garden
The largest of the three gardens – by a long way – is the Princeās Garden, to the east of the palace. The perimeter of the garden is about seven kilometres long and the whole area is about 150 hectares.
Itās a sprawling space and hard to see all of it on the one visit. The Chinese Pond stands out as a highlight, as does the number of large fountains. The tree-lined avenues create a sense of wild grandeur in the garden.
If you walk far enough through the Princeās Garden, youāll eventually hit the Casa del Labrador, a lodge amongst the trees.
Itās large by the standards of any normal guesthouse but small compared to the main Aranjuez Palace. Inside, it is beautifully-decorated with fine items gathered from around the world and precious Spanish artworks.
It was built by Charles IV, the son of Charles III who took the time and care to complete the main palace. Charles IV loved Aranjuez but he also wanted it to feel like a home, not just like an official royal residence.
This is why he built this lodge out in the garden – somewhere to escape with his family and friends. Somewhere he would feel comfortable.
Itās the same reason this land was first used by the royals as a hunting ground, and not too dissimilar to why a palace was built here for use in the spring.
Itās about making the most of the seasons, of the nature, of the atmospheres that can turn royal life into something more pleasant.
Love the new post! Loook awesome garden in your post. Lovely pics. Thanks!
Wow! what a place to visit, I want to meander in these gardens and want to take some photographs to share on social media accounts.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful information about this beautiful park, glad to read it and I would like to explore this city soon.
Great, Royal garden is looking so amazing and very well designed garden. it is full with beautiful things and great photos you shared.
thank you so much for awesome blog Enjoyed reading this. Your pictures are great.
Great, that is an amazing place and its design is so charming. Garden is looking more beautiful and its well design garden. Great photos you shared of that garden.
Interesting historical facts of the Royal palaces, the images are attractive, thanks for the wonderful post.