As Marta Rivera de la Cruz explained to the Madrid City Council this month, the complete restoration of the Palacio de los Vargas will return “a unique heritage element, both cultural and natural,” to Madrid’s residents in 2027, when it will be reborn as Real Casa de Campo. The city government’s representative for culture, tourism and sport noted the efforts made to plan to restore the building, which once served as King Felipe II’s villa, “in the most faithful way possible” to its origins. los fondos next generation The approval of the EUR 10 million Sustainable Tourism Plan for Destinations (PSTD) 2023 will enable us to bring new museum spaces to life and work on the integrated restoration of heritage sites. This resulted in Consistorio investing over 800,000 euros between historical and archaeological research and the removal of elements that “distorted the interpretation of the building”.
Real Casa de Campo’s history begins in the 16th century, when the influential Vargas family established it as a recreational site. This building plays a very important role in the history of Madrid, as José Luis Sancho Gaspar, national heritage researcher and commissioner of the Real Casa de Campo, explains, which is directly related to the decision of Philip II to move the capital of the court of Valladolid to Madrid in 1561. “La Casa de Campo, even before it became one of the actual places, formed part of the landscape that explains why Madrid became the capital, because of the forest that surrounds it.” According to experts, the flora of Monte de El Pardo attracted the Castellan princes because it was a customary place of passage for rescued children, as it had been since the 14th century. monteria book —A kind of manual on the landscape of Spain in the time of Alfonso XI.
Over time, Vargas Palace has undergone many changes in its appearance, but there are some that I would like to highlight in particular. The first is the reforms made by King Felipe II in the 16th century when he purchased the mansion from Antonia Manrique de Valencia, the widow of Francisco de Vargas. The result is a three-bodied house with a clear geometric pattern that extends all the way to the garden. Then, in the 17th century, King Carlos III commissioned Francisco Sabatini to restore the exterior. Italian architects modified the façade to suit Italian villas and cottages, raising the floor of the house to a medium pole (about 40 centimeters). These are the hits that inspired the team of over 30 professionals who worked on the project.
Recent excavations have revealed the beginnings of the walls of the 16th century house, whose internal organization remained largely intact until the 20th century. The original floors of the XVI, XVII and XVIII centuries are also visible, especially on the west wall, with Mudéjar tiles, bases, capitals, XVI columns integrated into the rear wall, the remains of the Ximenea, the lost staircase structure and the original beams of the central room. According to Madrid’s city council, all of these halls will allow “the architecture of the building to be restored to the ground, as well as the history of the people who lived there and changed it over time.”
Meanwhile, the restoration of the historic garden will allow more than 10,000 square meters of Renaissance examples to be exhibited, of which more than 4,000 square meters will be devoted to planting areas. The future area will be home to around 25,000 plants, including 155 new trees including leafy, evergreen and fruit-bearing varieties, a collection of 120 roses and more than 700 shrubs. New species also include garden and open-sided fruit trees reminiscent of the Renaissance tradition of court gardens.
Rivera de la Cruz said that with the restoration of the Real Casa de Campo Gardens, “in five seconds residents and visitors will be able to walk through a space that preserves the spirit of the Philippine Garden.” Madrid is summarized as “a new historic garden with gems like Sabatini, El Capricho and Cecilio Rodríguez”.
As the Ayuntamiento cultural official said, this intervention comes at “the most opportune time”, with 2027 marking the completion of the 500th anniversary of King Felipe II’s birth. It is hoped that construction will be completed and the new Real Casa de Campo will be open to the public by the time it closes. The Madrid City Council will therefore be able to showcase the results of what it considers “one of the most relevant heritage activities” of its mandate.
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