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The Casa del Labrador is a neoclassical palace in
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In 1993 the building was listed on the Spanish heritage register as a ''
Aranjuez
Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid.
Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of the Tagus, a bit upstream of the discharge of the Jarama. , the munici ...
, Spain. The name means "house of the farm labourer", and was borrowed from an earlier building on the site, although the new building was intended for royal use. It was designed to complement the Royal Palace, providing a place for the royal family to spend the day without some of the customary restrictions of court life.
Architecture
The initial design was by the royal architect, Juan de Villanueva for King Charles IV.
A cartouche
upalt=A stone face carved with coloured hieroglyphics. Two cartouches - ovoid shapes with hieroglyphics inside - are visible at the bottom., Birth and throne cartouches of Pharaoh KV17.html" ;"title="Seti I, from KV17">Seti I, from KV17 at the ...
on the facade gives the date as 1803.
The work was completed by Isidro González Velázquez.
Decorations
The French designer Jean-Démosthène Dugourc, who entered Charles IV's service after the French Revolution broke out, made an important contribution to the interior decorations. The marble floors incorporate someRoman mosaic
A Roman mosaic is a mosaic made during the Roman period, throughout the Roman Republic and later Empire. Mosaics were used in a variety of private and public buildings, on both floors and walls, though they competed with cheaper frescos for the ...
s found in Merida.
There are murals by Zacarías González Velázquez.
Access and conservation
The Casa del Labrador is set in a park called the Jardín del Príncipe bordering the River Tagus. Access to the gardens surrounding the Casa del Labrador is free, but there is a charge to visit the house itself which is in the care of the heritage agency Patrimonio Nacional. The Jardín del Príncipe is also the home of the Faluas Reales Museum, a modern building containing pleasure barges from theroyal collection
The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world.
Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...
.
In 1993 the building was listed on the Spanish heritage register as a ''Bien de Interés Cultural
(, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries.
The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...
'' under the name "Casita del Labrador".
Also the gardens in which it is set are protected as a ''Jardín Histórico''.
Since 2001 Aranjuez has been conserved as part of a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
, the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape.
Related properties
There are similar properties near other royal palaces in the Madrid area. * Casita del Príncipe (El Escorial) This building was also designed for Charles IV, but before he became king.References
{{reflist Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Community of Madrid Houses completed in 1803 Neoclassical architecture in the Community of Madrid Buildings and structures in Aranjuez Palaces in the Community of Madrid Royal residences in Spain