Pazo de Lourizán facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Lourizán Palace
Pazo de Lourizán

General information
Type	Palace
Location	Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Coordinates	42°24′34″N 8°39′53″W / 42.40944°N 8.66472°W / 42.40944; -8.66472
Construction started	19th century; 1909
Completed	1912
Owner	Deputation of Pontevedra
Management	Xunta de Galicia
Technical details
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architect	Jenaro de la Fuente Domínguez

The Palace of Lourizán is a beautiful old manor house located in Lourizán, a part of Pontevedra, Spain. It's a special place with a long history and amazing gardens. Today, it's used as an important center for studying trees and nature.

History of Lourizán Palace
What the Palace Looks Like
- The Palace Building
- The Palace Estate and Gardens
Culture and the Palace
Gallery
See also
- Related articles

History of Lourizán Palace

The story of Lourizán Palace began a long time ago.

From Farm to Manor House

In the 1400s, this area was a farm owned by the Montenegro family. You can still see a round tower from that time, which was used as a dovecote (a home for doves). A strong tower-house was also built here. A famous Spanish writer named Luis de Góngora even stayed there in 1609 and wrote some of his books.

Later, in the 1600s, the farm was known as Granja de la Sierra. It changed owners several times, belonging to different important people and business owners. In the 1800s, it became a main home and a summer house for wealthy families.

A Grand Palace is Born

In 1876, a very important person named Eugenio Montero Ríos rented the estate. He was a famous lawyer and politician in Spain. He loved the place so much that he bought it in 1879. The estate was very close to the ria of Pontevedra (a type of coastal inlet) and even had its own pier for boats!

Between 1893 and 1894, the house got its first big makeover. A wooden gallery was added, which enclosed the building's small chapel. The palace became a fancy place used for important meetings, as well as a home for family and friends. A very important peace treaty, the Treaty of Paris, was signed here in 1898 after a war. This treaty changed which countries controlled some territories.

The Palace's New Look

In the early 1900s, Eugenio Montero Ríos wanted to make the palace even grander. He hired an architect named Jenaro de la Fuente Domínguez. The goal was to turn it into a huge residential palace, similar to the fancy hôtels particuliers (large townhouses) popular in France at the time.

Work started in 1909 and finished in 1912. The palace got a completely new look, both inside and out. Beautiful marble statues that were once in the garden were moved to the grand central staircase. Eugenio Montero Ríos lived in the Lourizán Palace until he passed away in 1914.

A Center for Nature Research

In 1943, the Provincial Council of Pontevedra bought the palace. That same year, they gave it to the Ministry of Education. It was then used as a regional center for teaching and research about forests. By 1946, it became a special school for forestry.

Today, the palace is part of the Centre for Sustainable Development. Its main goal is to protect, save, and improve the amazing forests of Galicia. In May 2023, the palace officially became the property of the Xunta de Galicia (the regional government of Galicia).

What the Palace Looks Like

The Lourizán Palace has a romantic and elegant style. It mixes different architectural ideas, including Art Nouveau (a decorative art style), Classicism (inspired by ancient Greek and Roman art), and French styles.

The Palace Building

The palace is symmetrical, meaning it looks the same on both sides. It has a ground floor and two upper floors. The middle part of the building is shaped like a "U" and has three towers with special French-style roofs made of slate. The front of the palace has tall Ionic columns and pilasters (flat columns attached to the wall). In the center, there's a coat of arms and a clock.

In front of the main entrance, there's a huge stone staircase with two flights. It's surrounded by beautiful white marble statues. These statues represent ideas like justice and wisdom. At the top of the staircase, you can see statues of famous figures like Germanicus and Sophocles. At the ends of the round area, there are statues of Pallas Athena and Diana of Gabii. Near the entrance doors, there are statues representing Spring and Summer.

This grand staircase leads to a semicircular terrace, which is a great spot to enjoy the views. Below the terrace is an artificial grotto (a small cave) that looks like a volcanic cave and is called the Grotto of Mirrors. From here, two side sections open up. These are light, long galleries made of stone and glass that wrap around the older parts of the palace.

The palace has many windows and balconies, which let in lots of light and make the building look light and airy. The decorations combine classical and Art Nouveau elements. The columns, balconies, and other decorations show classical designs. The triangular top part of the central section has symbols related to Eugenio Montero Ríos's job, like a shield with a book and a feather, representing justice.

You enter the palace through a simple door with the initials "E and A" on the glass, standing for "Eugenio and Avelina," the former owners. Inside, the rooms are arranged around a long corridor. The most important rooms, like lounges and offices, face the park, while service areas like the kitchen are at the back.

The Palace Estate and Gardens

The palace has huge gardens and groves, covering about 54 hectares (that's like 100 football fields!). These gardens show how the place has been used over hundreds of years: as a farm, a fancy garden, and now a center for forestry research. It has one of the most important collections of trees in Europe. Many trees were brought from other parts of the world or specially grown to fit the climate in Pontevedra, creating a truly unique forest.

You'll find many native trees here, like oaks and chestnuts, along with trees from other countries, such as Cypresses, Araucarias, and magnolias. Many of these were planted by French gardeners. Some of these trees are so special that they are listed in the Catalogue of Singular Trees of the Galician Government. There are also special areas with all kinds of chestnut trees, pines, and camellias. You can even see the tallest Japanese camellia in the world, which is 20.5 meters tall! There's also a tree from New Zealand and a small Taiwanese garden.

Around the palace, you'll discover ponds, traditional granaries on stilts, the 15th-century dovecote, and a beautiful glass greenhouse with an iron frame from 1900. There's also a huge granite table made from a single piece of rock (it might have come from Tambo Island!). You'll also see white marble statues and several fountains, like the Fountain of the Shell and the Fountain of the Cave of Mirrors. The estate has different paths, like the Camellia Avenue and the Eucalyptus Avenue.

The Art Nouveau greenhouse from the early 1900s is made of glass and wrought iron. It's very large and light, with a rectangular shape. Its highest point is 7 meters in the middle, where bigger plants are grown, while smaller plants are kept in the side areas.

Culture and the Palace

The Lourizán Palace has even inspired books! The writer Lola Fernández Pazos published a novel called El Pazo de Lourizán in 2022, which is set in the palace.

Interestingly, Tambo Island was once part of the palace's land. Eugenio Montero Ríos bought most of the island in the late 1800s. Later, in 1940, his children sold it to the Navy to be used by the Naval Military Academy.