Spain: Casa de Campo, Madrid
- Matthew P G
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
July 2014
Covering 1535.52 hectares, this wonderful natural space to the west of the city is Madrid’s largest public park. Its history dates back to the mid-16th century when King Philip II decided to move his court to Madrid. He created an estate that extended from the Royal Palace to El Pardo hunting ground, acquiring farms and fields in the area. Used exclusively by the royal family for centuries, in the 1930s it was finally opened to the public. King Ferdinand VI declared it a Royal Forest, and King Charles III chose to devote some of it to agricultural use and livestock farming. But with the arrival of the Second Spanish Republic, the new government ceded ownership of the property to Madrid City Council on 1 May 1931, and it has been public property ever since. During the Civil War it was damaged, like many other sites in the city, but it also saw the construction of military structures that are still visible today.
On that first visit to Madrid, AFVdR wanted to show me the city but also visit some places he always intended to go, but never did. High on his list was Casa de Campo Park. I was fine with it since I had never been to the city at all.
As we were visiting in July, it was dry season so the park seemed extremely dry (but with many trees). Clearly a park, the place still appeared too parched to serve its purpose. I suppose my Northeast USA upbringing comes with some very strict rules for how any "park" should look. Perhaps an Angelino would find Casa de Campo "normal", but for me (in summer), it looked like one huge, dry expanse - definitely not a "park".
A and I walked down from the royal palace (which overlooks Casa de Campo) and had a small walkabout. The space is vast, so seeing it all would have taken too much time. Upon entering I liked its large lake and the cafes along the shore for locals to relax (it was also greener). Some parts of the park are landscaped with fountains and statuary, but mostly it has been left in its natural state (which from my perspective showed a serious lack of trees). I was happy for the walkabout and getting to see another face of Madrid, but compared to a lovely park like El Retiro [see: El Retiro Park, Madrid], the place came up short.
Perhaps if I had visited at the end of the rainy season (when it is apparently lush), I would have developed a different impression of the place?
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