El+Retiro+Park

=El Retiro Park:)=

The El Retiro Park is located in Madrid, Spain. It was built by King Phillip the IV. After using this as his private park, he opened this 320 acre park it to the public in the 1868. This beautiful park has tons of buildings, statues, and landscapes. This park is one of the most popular areas in Madrid. As a matter of fact, the word retiro means retirement and, as you can guess a retirement park gift for King Phillip the IV.

Originally the area of the park was the place where King Philip II moved the Spanish Court to in 1561. The park originated when Gaspar de Guzman, the count duke of Olivares, gave Philip IV several tracks of land around the court for recreational purposes. Many of the famous buildings in the park where ordered to be constructed under Philip IV and Philip V. The last Royal user of the park was Queen Isabella in 1868. She was then overthrown and the park became ownership of the public.

There is an amazing building made of glass in El Retiro Park called Palacio de Crystal, or Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace is made of only glass. It was used to house cool, exotic plants that came from the Philippines. Now, it is used for temporary exhibitions. Many of the statues are dedicated to people or symbols such as the "angels falling from the sky" or such like that. There is an artificially made lake. It's is really big and is called Estanque del Retiro. People can ride in rowboats or they can be lazy and just enjoy the view. As you walk around the park, you can see many open air bars called 'terrazas'. Another thing in El Retiro Park is its road. The road is only for pedestrains, roller skaters, cyclists, and joggers. On that road, there is a HUGE book fair. Also, there is an museum that holds a lovely collection of armor. It is called Museo del Ejerctito. One awesome thing in this museum is a cross. It holds the cross that Columbus took with him when he went to find the New World. Finally, there a Rose Garden located in the park. It's also known as Rosaleda.