Campo del Moro Gardens

It is named after Ali Ben Yusuf's attempt to reconquer Madrid in 1109, as his army camped there. The Muslim wall of Madrid ended here. However, the name Campo del Moro is not officially documented until 1809.

In the 16th century, King Philip II bought the land adjacent to the Alcazar and it became the leisure area of the Court in Madrid. After the fire at the Alcazar in Madrid, this land lost its importance in favour of other areas close to the Palace.

It wasn't until the reign of Isabella II that the construction of the Gardens was undertaken by Narciso Pascual y Colomer (1844), whose layout of the straight main avenues and the two fountains that line the central axis still remains. The fountains are the Conchas fountain, the work of Felipe de Castro and Manuel Álvarez (1775), brought from the Infante Don Luis Palace in Boadilla del Monte, and the Tritons fountain, a 16th century Italian work from the garden of La Isleta in Aranjuez, and located in front of the "Gruta Grande" or greenhouse. Finally, during the Regency of Maria Cristina of Habsburg the park was completely reformed according to the pseudo-landscape design of Ramon Oliva (1890).

The magnificent view offered by the Sacchetti building from the central avenue of the gardens invites us to look for its most spectacular setting from a more distant point, from the former royal estates of the Casa de Campo or Principe Pio mountain: it is, in fact, from the perspective offered by the Royal Sites that one comes to understand this Royal Palace.

Today, the Campo del Moro Gardens are one of the favourite spots for the people of Madrid. Away from the mass tourism spots, they are a place for reflection and rest.