Galería de las Colecciones Reales
Madrid’s major new Royal Collections Museum, opened in 2023, is cut into the hillside next to the cathedral and beautifully constructed in the same pale granite. It’s worth visiting early in your stay as its galleries provide a potted history of Spain and its rulers, told through a trove of items amassed over 500 years. Descend to two cavernous galleries, cleverly labelled “A” for Austrias, covering the Habsburg dynasty from the 15th to the 17th centuries, and “B” for Bourbons, from the 18th century to the present day. There are sumptuous paintings, tapestries, and sculpture as you’d expect, but perhaps even more fascinating are the everyday royal objects: An exquisite oil lamp clock used by Felipe II, an oversized lock and keys from the palace monastery at El Escorial, an imperial dining table centerpiece from Aranjuez. A third gallery is devoted to temporary exhibitions and an immersive space known as The Cube lets you virtually visit the royal palaces where the items once belonged. There’s also a lovely open-air café in the shadow of the cathedral and a mirador with views across Casa del Campo, the former Royal hunting ground. As you tour the collection, you might wonder how today’s more modest royals can possibly match the magnificence of their forebears. Although the collection, and the palaces, have belonged to the state since 1870, this museum feels like a worthy legacy.
Madrid’s major new Royal Collections Museum, opened in 2023, is cut into the hillside next to the cathedral and beautifully constructed in the same pale granite. It’s worth visiting early in your stay as its galleries provide a potted history of Spain and its rulers, told through a trove of items amassed over 500 years. Descend to two cavernous galleries, cleverly labelled “A” for Austrias, covering the Habsburg dynasty from the 15th to the 17th centuries, and “B” for Bourbons, from the 18th century to the present day. There are sumptuous paintings, tapestries, and sculpture as you’d expect, but perhaps even more fascinating are the everyday royal objects: An exquisite oil lamp clock used by Felipe II, an oversized lock and keys from the palace monastery at El Escorial, an imperial dining table centerpiece from Aranjuez. A third gallery is devoted to temporary exhibitions and an immersive space known as The Cube lets you virtually visit the royal palaces where the items once belonged. There’s also a lovely open-air café in the shadow of the cathedral and a mirador with views across Casa del Campo, the former Royal hunting ground. As you tour the collection, you might wonder how today’s more modest royals can possibly match the magnificence of their forebears. Although the collection, and the palaces, have belonged to the state since 1870, this museum feels like a worthy legacy.
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