Spanish Royal Palaces

[Rearden]

back to El Escorial

it's were the kings and queens are buried since Charles V

(although not all of them are buried there)



a youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6uCnPZFgbs

trivia: Following a rule approved by the Council of Trent dealing with the veneration of saints, Philip II donated to the monastery one of the largest reliquaries in all of Catholicism. The collection consists of some 7500 relics, which are stored in 570 sculpted reliquaries designed by Juan de Herrera. Most of them were constructed by the artisan, Juan de Arfe Villafañe. These reliquaries are found in highly varied forms (heads, arms, pyramidal cases, coffers, etc.) and are distributed throughout the monastery, with the most important being concentrated in the basilica.

[Rearden]

the basilica

[Nattie Lite]

Royal Palace of Madrid

Thanks for the pictures.  I visited the Royal Palace this past April.  Unfortunately, they don't allow you to take pictures inside (although it looks like some people obviously got around that prohibition ).   I don't like it as much as some of the French palaces I've visited, but it was still pretty impressive. 

[Clara]

Not exactly a palce...

The Álcazar of Segovia (literally, Segovia Castle) is a stone fortification, located in the old city of Segovia, Spain. Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of the rivers Eresma and Clamores near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape - like the bow of a ship. The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then.

The Alcázar of Segovia, like many fortifications in Spain, started off as an Arab fort, but little of that structure remains.The first reference to this particular Alcázar was in 1120, around 32 years after the city of Segovia returned to Christian hands. However, archaeological evidence suggests that the site of this Alcázar was once used in Roman times as a fortification. This theory is further substantiated by the presence of Segovia's famous Roman Aqueduct.

Alfonso VIII (1155-1214) and his wife, Eleanor of Plantagenet made this Alcázar their principal residence and much work was carried out to erect the beginnings of the stone fortification we see today. The Alcázar, throughout the Middle Ages, remained one of the favorite residences of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Castile and a key fortress in the defense of the kingdom. It was during this period a majority of the current building was constructed and the palace was extended on a large scale by the monarchs of the Trastámara dynasty.

The royal court eventually moved to Madrid and the Alcázar then served as a state prison for almost two centuries before King Charles III founded the Royal Artillery School in 1762. It served this function for almost a hundred years until March 6 1862 where a fire badly damaged the roofs and framework. It was only in 1882 that the building was slowly restored to its original state. In 1896, King Alfonso XIII ordered the Alcázar to be handed over to the Ministry of War as a military college.

Today, the Alcázar remains one of the most popular historical sights in Spain and is one of the three major attractions in Segovia. Notable rooms are the Hall of Ajimeces which houses many works of art, the Hall of the Throne and the Hall of Kings with a frieze representing all of the Spanish Kings and Queens starting from Pelagius of Asturias down to Juana la Loca after moving to El Palacio Real in Madrid, Spain
Wikipedia is my friend http://en.wikipedia.org/w...i/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia

[Clara]

The donjon:



Parade ground:






Chapel:





The clock courtyard:







Royal chamber:



Armory:





The throne room:







Stairs:



Entrance;



Glasses:









Battlements:



Moat:



Garden:

[Clara]

Random parts of the Álcazar:

[Rearden]

Thanks for the pictures.  I visited the Royal Palace this past April.  Unfortunately, they don't allow you to take pictures inside (although it looks like some people obviously got around that prohibition ).   I don't like it as much as some of the French palaces I've visited, but it was still pretty impressive. 

it's not my favourite either  it's supposed to be bigger than versailles but I don't like the spanish bourbon style

I've visited it a couple of years ago but I think that you could take photos 

[Rearden]

Alhambra

The Alhambra (Arabic: الْحَمْرَاء‎, Al-Ḥamrā' , literally "the red one"), the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra (الْقَلْعَةُ ٱلْحَمْرَاءُ, Al-Qal‘at al-Ḥamrā’ , "the red fortress"), is a palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus, occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.

The Alhambra's Moorish palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquista by the Reyes Católicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some portions were used by the Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories.





Court of Myrtles





Patio de la Acequia








Patio de los Leones











The Hall Of The Two Sisters



Royal baths



Random














Palacio Carlos V








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If anyone is interested about the legends of the alhambra I would recommend Tales of the Alhambra by Irving.

[Rearden]

A short tour through the Alhambra of Granada

[rere]

When the Royal Family is in Mallorca they always stay at Marivent Palace. They spend in Mallorca their summer Holidays.