Palacio de Cristal del Retiro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Palacio de Cristal |
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| General information | |
| Type | Conservatory |
| Location | Madrid, Spain |
| Current tenants | Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Part of | Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iv), (vi) |
| Inscription | 2021 (45th Session) |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Historic Garden |
| Designated | 8 February 1935 |
| Reference no. | RI-52-0000015-00001 |
The Palacio de Cristal (which means "Glass Palace" in Spanish) is a beautiful building from the 1800s. You can find it in the famous Buen Retiro Park in Madrid, Spain. It was first built to be a huge greenhouse, but today it's used for exciting art shows.
A Palace Made of Glass
The Palacio de Cristal looks like a giant Greek cross. It's mostly made of glass panels held together by an iron frame. The bottom part is made of brick and decorated with pretty ceramic tiles. A tall dome, called a cupola, makes the building over 22 meters (about 72 feet) high!
When it was built, using lots of glass and iron was a new and exciting way to construct buildings. Other places in Madrid, like the Delicias train station, also used these materials. However, the curved shape of the Palacio de Cristal was inspired by British architects like Joseph Paxton, who designed London's famous Crystal Palace, and Decimus Burton, who created the Palm House at Kew Gardens.
The iron frame for the palace was made in a city called Bilbao. The building was designed so it could be taken apart and moved to another spot, just like the Crystal Palace in London. But the Palacio de Cristal stayed right where it was built, next to a lovely lake. It has been carefully restored to look just as it did when it was new. Even though it's no longer a greenhouse, it's a popular place to see amazing art exhibits.
What It's Used For Today
The Crystal Palace is now part of the Reina Sofía Museum. It's one of the museum's special places for temporary art shows. Another place they use for exhibits is the Velázquez Palace, which is also nearby.
Gallery
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See also
In Spanish: Palacio de Cristal del Retiro para niños
