Royal Palace of Aranjuez

Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Aranjuez Cultural Landscape


State Party = ESP
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iv
ID = 1044
Region = Europe and North America
Year = 2001
Session = 25th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1044The Royal Palace of Aranjuez (Spanish: "Palacio Real de Aranjuez") is a residence of the King of Spain, located in the town of Aranjuez (province of Madrid). The palace is open to the public as one of the Spanish royal sites.

It was commissioned by Philip II and designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera, who also designed El Escorial. It was completed during the reign of Ferdinand VI; Charles III had two wings added to it.

The huge gardens, built to relieve its royal residents from the dust and drought of the Spanish "meseta" using the waters of the adjacent Tagus and Jarama rivers, are Spain's most important of the Habsburg period. The "Jardín de la Isla" is on a man-made island bounded by the River Tagus and the Ria Canal.The "Jardín del Principe" contains a miniature palace (the "Casa del Labrador", built for Charles IV) and the "Museo de las Falúas Reales", housing the most important extant collection of Spain's royal pleasure barges.

The palace's important art and historical collections include the "Museo de la Vida en Palacio", describing the daily lives of Spain's monarchs.

External links

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* [http://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/aranj/aranjuez.htm Patrimonio Nacional | Royal Palace of Aranjuez]
* [http://www.gardenvisit.com/ge/aran.htm Jardin del Palacio de Aranjuez - a Gardens Guide review]
* [http://www.photoaranjuez.com/Royal-Palace-in-Aranjuez Pictures of Royal Palace in Aranjuez]