La Granjilla de La Fresneda de El Escorial facts for kids
La Fresneda is a beautiful park in El Escorial, Community of Madrid, Spain. It is also known as La Granjilla de La Fresneda or simply La Granjilla. This special park was built between 1561 and 1569. It served as the private Royal Park for King Philip II near his famous Monastery of El Escorial.
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History of La Granjilla
Why King Philip II Built La Granjilla
In 1561, King Philip II made two big decisions for Spain. He chose Madrid to be the capital city. At the same time, he picked a spot on the Abantos mountain, in the Sierra de Guadarrama, to build a large monastery. This monastery was called El Monasterio de San Lorenzo El Real, or El Escorial.
The king wanted a special park nearby. He asked an architect named Juan Bautista de Toledo to design a Royal Park at La Fresneda. This area was a small village near the mountains and the new monastery.
Who Designed La Granjilla
Juan Bautista de Toledo was the main designer for La Granjilla. He planned it to be a beautiful place, different from the serious monastery. Other talented people helped with the project. These included Gaspar de Vega, Juan de Herrera, and Pedro de Tolosa. A monk named fray Marcos de Cardona and a water expert named Petri Jansen also played important roles.
Exploring La Granjilla Park
What You Can Find at La Granjilla
La Granjilla de La Fresneda is located at the base of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains. It is a complex area with many different parts. You can find lovely ornamental gardens, which are gardens grown for beauty. There are also ethnobotanical gardens, which grow plants used by people for different purposes. Plus, there are artificial lakes, waterways, and a special area for hunting. Stone walls separate these different sections of the park.
The Royal Gardens and Lakes
Fray Marcos de Cardona, a Hieronymite monk, was the designer and gardener for the Royal Gardens. He made sure the plants were beautiful and useful. A Dutch expert named Petre Janson was in charge of creating the five Royal Lakes. Both the monk and the water expert followed the directions of King Philip II and Juan Bautista de Toledo.
The highest and largest lake gets its water from the Aulencia river. This lake then supplies water to the other three artificial lakes and the entire park. It uses a clever system of dams, waterways, and pipes. This old water system is a unique example of Spanish Renaissance engineering.
Special Gardens of the Renaissance
The Royal Gardens at La Granjilla de La Fresneda are very special. They are unique examples of Spanish Renaissance gardens. These gardens were a mix of different types. They had ornamental sections for beauty, market gardens for growing food, ethnobotanical gardens for useful plants, and even spagyric gardens for medicinal plants. These gardens were very important compared to earlier royal gardens, like those at the Chateau de Chambord in France.
La Granjilla de La Fresneda has won awards for its beauty and history. It received the International Carlo Scarpa Award for how well its historical gardens are managed and preserved.
Amazing Water Projects
Many important civil engineering projects were designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. These included La Casa de Campo in Madrid and La Granjilla de La Fresneda. They also designed El Canal del Escorial, which brought water to the Monastery. Another project was La Cacera de La Granjilla de La Fresneda, an aqueduct that fed the ponds of La Granjilla from the Aulencia river. These projects were part of a huge network of water systems and changes to the environment. They stretched from Madrid all the way to the mountains near El Escorial.
See also
In Spanish: La Granjilla de La Fresneda para niños
- El Escorial
- Valle de los Caídos
- Imperial Route of the Community of Madrid
