The Royal Palace of Aranjuez is a Spanish royal residence located in the town of Aranjuez. Established in the 16th century as a royal hunting lodge, it was built by order of Philip II. The area's history as a royal site began when the grandmaster of the Order of Santiago, Lorenzo I Suárez de Figueroa, directed the construction of a grand hunting lodge. This was designed for the recreation of members of the order and their royal and noble patrons in the Raso de Estrella, a star-shaped glade that is today an open festival park.
In 1523, Charles I of Spain took possession of the area, which was designated Real Bosque y Casa de Aranjuez (Royal Woods and House of Aranjuez). Philip II later designated a portion of land to the north of the river Tagus for pottager and general agriculture in 1561. The palace has been a site of significant historical events, including the deaths of several members of the royal family, such as Elisabeth of Valois in 1568 and Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony in 1828.
Today, the palace and its gardens are part of the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site declared in 2001. The palace currently houses a museum on the ground floor, and the royal rooms and gardens are open to the public. Management of the site is entrusted to the public agency Patrimonio Nacional.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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