The Palacio de Cristal ("Glass Palace") is a
conservatory located in the
Buen Retiro Park in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, Spain.
The Palacio de Cristal, in the shape of a Greek cross, is made almost entirely of glass set in an iron framework on a brick base, which is decorated with ceramics. Its
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome.
The word derives, via Italian, from ...
makes the structure over 22 metres high. When it was erected, glass and iron construction on a large scale was already to be seen in Madrid at
Delicias station (1880), the work of a French architect; however, the curved architecture of the Palacio de Cristal is more comparable to the techniques pioneered by the British architects
Joseph Paxton
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
(who was responsible for London's
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
) and
Decimus Burton (who was responsible for the Palm House at Kew Gardens). The Palacio de Cristal was, alongside the
Pabellón Central, one of the main venues of the
1887 Philippines Exposition.
The cast-iron frame was manufactured in Bilbao.
The structure was designed in a way that would allow it to be re-erected on another site (as happened to the equivalent building in London). However, the building has remained on the original site, next to a lake, and has been restored to its original appearance. It is no longer used as a greenhouse, and is currently used for art exhibits.
Use
The Crystal Palace belongs to the
Reina Sofía Museum
Reina (the Spanish word for queen) or La Reina may refer to:
Geography
* Reina, Badajoz, a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain
* Reina, Estonia, a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County, Estonia
* La Reina, a commune ...
, and is one of its temporary exposition centres together with
Velázquez Palace.
Gallery
File:Retiro - Palacio de Cristal.jpg,
File:Palacio de Cristal (Retiro, Madrid) 03.jpg,
File:Palacio de Cristal del Retiro, Madrid (Spain).jpg,
File:Palacio de Cristal (Retiro, Madrid) 12.jpg,
References
Buen Retiro Park
Cast-iron architecture in Spain
Glass architecture
Tourist attractions in Madrid
Palaces in Madrid
Buildings and structures in Jerónimos neighborhood, Madrid
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