Manzanares Park (in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: Parque del Manzanares) is a large, 650 Ha. park in the south of
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. It follows the
Manzanares River
The Manzanares () is a river in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, which flows from the Sierra de Guadarrama, passes through Madrid, and eventually empties into the Jarama river, which in turn is a right-bank tributary to the Tagus.
In its ...
, backbone of the park, for fifteen km between the Casa de Campo and the town of
Getafe
Getafe () is a municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality.
Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city centre, within a flat ar ...
.
The first part of the park was inaugurated on April 29, 2003. The rest of the Park is under construction.
The most significant areas of the finished part are:
* The Green Square (Plaza Verde), a wooden amphitheatre structure.
* The Alley of
Sense
A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the central nervous system re ...
s (Paseo de los Sentidos), which goes along the river and is planted with palm trees, oak, cork, olive trees and other Mediterranean species.
* The ''Umbráculo''.
* The
Watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
(Atalaya), a pyramid-like structure with a sculpture by
Manolo Valdés on top representing the head of a woman looking at the city.
* The ''Pérgola''.
* The Sports Area, with several football, basketball, and handball fields.
* The Loop, a way around the park.
* The Belvedere Park.
Project
The first stage of the project “the Linear Park on the River Manzanares” by
Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura
Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) is a architecture firm that was founded in 1963 by Ricardo Bofill, initially as Taller de Arquitectura ("Architecture Workshop" in Spanish). It is headquartered in Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona, in ...
was completed in 2003.
The geographical location of the park, south of
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, is crucial to the city, which is spreading progressively towards the Meseta and needs open ground to break the urban tissue and to provide citizens with contact with nature.
The ambition of the project was to transform an area containing the capital's sanitation and
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...
supply infrastructures into a major park that will also meet the recreational and sporting needs of the surrounding
districts. The previous studies on the treatment of the river that begun as part of
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
's sanitation plan were followed by Bofill's design project.
The park is a natural, building free setting for outdoor
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
such as jogging and biking, water related activities at a large rowing canal, and open air cultural activities and events.
The project foresees covering the sewer exits at the northern end of the park and isolating the water purifiers and electricity plant to hide the installations from view and mask possible emanating smells.
See also
*
List of works by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura
Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura is an architecture firm based in Barcelona. Many of its works have acquired iconic status. Completed buildings are listed in chronological order of completion, and unbuilt projects or urban master plans by dat ...
References
External links
Manzanares Park Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura websitePhotos Manzanares Park - Arcprospect
Buildings and structures completed in 2003
2003 establishments in Spain
Parks in Madrid
Ricardo Bofill buildings
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