UNESCO World Heritage Award Add Big Feather To Madrid’s Cap
Madrid starts the week in jubilant mood this Monday 26th July, celebrating that its bid to add the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro Park to be recognised on UNESCO’s World Heritage List has been successful.
The latest addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List forms part of a “200-hectare cultural landscape evolved since the creation of the tree-lined Paseo del Prado avenue, a prototype of the Hispanic alameda, in the 16th century”.
The list description includes the “Fuente de Cibeles and the Fuente de Neptuno, and the Plaza de Cibeles, an iconic symbol of the city, surrounded by prestigious buildings. The site embodies a new idea of urban space and development from the enlightened absolutist period of the 18th century”.
“Collectively, they illustrate the aspiration for a utopian society during the height of the Spanish Empire. The 120-hectare Jardines del Buen Retiro (Garden of Pleasant Retreat), a remnant of the 17th-century Buen Retiro Palace, constitutes the largest part of the property displaying different gardening styles from the 19th century to the present”.
In addition the area awarded comprises Madrid’s three of the capitals´best art museums – the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofía – all situated in what is known as the Golden Triangle along the Paseo del Prado axis as well as the Royal Botanical Gardens.
The Heritage Committee tweeted their congratulations: “New inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List: El Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, landscape of arts and sciences (Spain) Congratulations!”
