Five years ago, the Madrid History Museum reopened after 14 years of work for its complete renovation. Coinciding the onomastics with the candidacy of the Paseo del Prado and the Good Retreat to World Heritage in the category of cultural landscape, we travel, in the hands of two experts of the institution, the evolution of this Castilian town from the mid-16th century until early XX.
The route begins in the basement, dedicated to the cartographies of Madrid, with two jewels: the Teixeira map of 1656 and the model of León Gil de Palacio de 1830. It should be noted that, despite the two centuries apart, the The perimeter of the city and its physiognomy are practically the same: the fence erected by Felipe IV in 1625 will constrict the city until its demolition in 1869 , which explains the chaotic urban development of the central almond and the constant efforts to order the city.
With these maps in mind, the starting point in the mezzanine, dedicated to the Austrias, is 1561, when Felipe II turned Madrid into the capital of the empire. In addition to the royal family and the court, religious orders, officials, merchants and other people swelled the population of the incipient city, which from its origin began to grow around the Alcazar, of Muslim origin. Buildings of a certain architectural relevance such as the Torre de los Lujanes, the Casa de Cisneros and the Hospital de La Latina testify the influx of nobility to the town since the previous century. And the convents and houses of religion will draw the skyline of the time.
Portraits of monarchs
Beyond the portraits of the monarchs - among which an unusual painting by Carlos V and Felipe II, by Antonio Arias Fernández - stands out, engravings and paintings show what Madrid was like. «One of the main stages of the city is the Plaza Mayor as shown by Juan de la Corte's paintings. Celebrations were celebrated here, but also cars of faith or markets. It was multipurpose », says Eva Corrales, curator of the museum responsible for exhibitions and dissemination, while pointing out a myriad of prints: Madrid from the Cornisa del Manzanares, the Casa de Campo, the Alcazar, the squares of Cebada and Santa Cruz or Royal Sites like Aranjuez.
The visit continues with the trades and leisure, which included plays, baths in the Manzanares River and walks on the primitive Paseo del Prado, connected from the beginning with the Retiro. «At the end of the 15th century, at that time Prado Viejo, the Jeronimos had been installed with a monastery. There was an oratory there, then a Royal Room was made for the kings to attend the offices and it ended up being a royal retirement residence, hence its name, ”says the guide Begoña Domínguez, part of the museum's broadcasting area. «When Felipe IV decides to build the disappeared Palacio del Buen Retiro, he ends up activating that axis and the urban planning of the entire city. The kings came and went continuously from the Alcazar, through the main street, the Carrera de San Jerónimo and the Paseo del Prado. And the nobles begin to build their mansions there, ”he adds.
A picture of the Paseo del Prado from the 17th century illustrates the origin of the walk, with its trees, fountains and benches to sit on. "And instead of the fountain of Neptune is the turret of music," says Dominguez. «The Retiro Palace will be surrounded by gardens that complemented the promenade. So that palace and promenade go together and make this space a busy and important place, ”he concludes.
Already on the first floor, the eighteenth century is marked by dynastic change with the arrival of the Bourbons and the emergence of an enlightened elite that will bring new ideas in the fields of economics, customs, science and arts. The testimonies of the time evoke a Madrid of anarchic layout and narrow streets poorly aligned. Despite the construction of new and large public buildings with striking facades - this same building, originally Real Hospicio de San Fernando, the Barracks of Conde Duque, the Post Office or the Royal Palace after the Alcázar fire in 1734 - there was never an authentic urban planning and ephemeral constructions that disguised the capital proliferated.
«Lorenzo de Quirós' paintings show the ephemeral ornaments or architectures, assemblies that were made on the occasion of great events such as the entrance of the kings to the city. Temples of fake marble were mounted and then destroyed, houses were decorated, the tapestries hung on the balconies. All very baroque, ”explains Corrales. And Domínguez points out: «A little later, with the illustrated ones, the real entrances will be made through Alcalá Street, giving a lease to the Puerta de Alcalá».
Designs for the three sources
The Museum of History of Madrid shows here the designs of Ventura Rodríguez for the three sources of Neptune, Apollo and Cibeles -which then looked at their neighbors- for the so-called Prado Hall, a circoagonal space designed by Hermosilla at the behest of the best mayor of Madrid. «When Carlos III arrives he decides to make his illustrated and science city in the Prado Viejo», where he also plants the Astronomical Observatory, the Botanical Garden and the Natural Sciences Cabinet, now the Prado Museum. «The public also begins to open the Retreat», attracting even more walkers to the area as shown by several tapestry tapestries and a picture of the Puerta de Alcalá. So many that, as can be seen in another painting, traffic was regulated: a lane for walking, another for cars that went to the store to buy wheat and a third for the carriages of the nobles.
Fans with scenes from Madrid, prints about fashion and a replica of the Plaza de Toros de la Puerta de Alcalá give way to the Porcelain collection of the Real Fábrica del Buen Retiro. In the room dedicated to the War of Independence, the Allegory of the Villa de Madrid de Goya anticipates the rugged 19th century. Initially, in 1810, the oval of the upper right showed the face of José I, which was replaced by the slogan Constitution after the victory in Arapiles, was erased with the return of the French monarch to Madrid, and was repainted at the end of the War of Independence. When Fernando VII returns to Spain, his portrait goes on to occupy the oval. And at his death the Villa de Madrid asked to change it by the inscription Book of the Constitution . Finally, in 1872 we chose the motto that remains today: Dos de Mayo.
The second floor repeats the narrative scheme with portraits of nineteenth-century figures -Espartero, Amadeo de Saboya, Isabel II-, amusements of the time such as summers in the mountains and a section dedicated to women. Urbanistically, the near demolition allows Madrid to open towards the Ensanche.
"The Crown has no money and sells the land where the Jeronimos District would later emerge," Dominguez says, back to the Prado. «With the industrial revolution and the arrival of the railroad, Atocha becomes the gateway to the city. The hotels realize and the Ritz and the Palace begin to be built, again, at the edge of the Paseo del Prado and the Retiro Park » , he points out, listing other large buildings in the area such as the Stock Exchange, the Bank of Spain, the Royal Language Academy or the current Art Walk with the Thyssen and Reina Sofía museums.
To end the visit, what better way to approach the Neapolitan nativity scene of the eighteenth century exposed in the chapel, the only construction of the Royal Hospice that is preserved, in addition to its spectacular baroque facade.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more- Madrid
- Carlos V
- Aranjuez
- Prado Museum
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