Since the garden was created, the teaching of Botany has flourished, expeditions to the Americas and the Pacific have been funded, great collections of plants illustration plated have been commissioned, and the extensive herbariums established there have served as a basic for discovering new species. In 1857, with Mariano de la Paz Graells serving as director of the Royal Garden , important improvements were made that can be seen even today, including the greenhouse bearing his name, and the remodelling of the upper terrace. Also of note during the Graells era was the installation of a zoo, which was moved to the "Jardín del Buen Retiro" twelve years later under the orders of Miguel Colmeiro. In the first third of the twentieth century, research in the field of mycology began to be seriusly undertaken, and was especially intense in the specific area of micromicology. In 1974, it was closed to the public in order to carry out major refurbishment to restore it to its original style and appearance and re-open in 1981, coinciding with the bicenntenial of its relocation. The modern greenhouse exhibition was opened in 1993.
Origin and architecture
On 17 October, 1755, Ferdinand IV ordered the establishment of the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid, which was placed in the "Huerta de Migas Aclientes" then a peripheral area of the city wich is know today as "Puerta de Hierro" (Iron Gate) lying on the banks of the Manzanares River. It boasted over 2000 plants, collected by the botanist and surgeon José Quer in numerous journeys taken across the Iberian peninsula or obtained by trading with botanists from all over Europe.
In 1774, Charles III mandated that the garden be moved to its current location, the Paseo del Prado, where it was opened in 1781. Sabatini, the King's architect, and Juan de Villanueva headed the project. In the second half of the 18 century, under the direct protection of the Crown, botany in Spain flourished as in no other period in its history. Those year witnessed the construction of the three staggered terraces, and plants were arranged following the method devised by Linnaeus, one of the most renowned botanists in history. Also added in this period were the wrought-iron fence which surrounds the garden, the arbours, and winter garden know as the Villanueva Pavilion - which also houses the professor's chair from which Antonio Jose Cavanilles lectured.
Useful Facts
Address
Plaza de Murillo, 2. 28014, Madrid.
Tel.: 91 420 30 17 / 91 420 01 57Transportation
City buses: 10, 14, 27, 34,45.
Subway: L1: Atocha
Spanish railways: Atocha Station, local trains
Opening hours
- Closed on 25 December and 1 January
Services
- Library
- Seedbed, germplasm banks. Exhibitions in Villanueva Pavilion, concerts, conferences, publications. Society of Friends of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Drinking fountains.
- Handicapped access.
