Madrid’s Royal Palace stands on the site of a medieval fortress destroyed by fire in 1734. The eighteenth-century palace was designed to reduce fire risk and house the monarchy’s government, yet it became a residence only for a limited part of each year under Charles III.
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The pale stone palace occupies ground once held by Madrid’s Alcázar, a medieval fortress converted into a royal residence. A fire destroyed the Alcázar on Christmas Eve 1734; Patrimonio Nacional explicitly labels the story that Philip V’s court started the blaze as legend.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The Alcázar was destroyed by fire in 1734.
- Construction of the new palace began in 1738.
- Charles III was the first monarch to live in the palace.
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