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Royal Palace of Madrid
About
Born from the ashes of a devastating 1734 fire that reduced the old fortress to cinders, the Royal Palace of Madrid is a monolithic totem of power, built by the Bourbon dynasty to proudly declare that the Spanish Empire was still a global force. Traumatized by the blaze, the architects constructed this 3,500-room behemoth entirely out of granite and white marble, obsessively avoiding the use of wood. While its exterior projects neoclassical stoicism, the interior is an absolute storm of "over-the-top" opulence. It is a battleground of maximalist Baroque and Rococo design: ceilings explode with Tiepolo’s illusionistic frescoes of gods crowning Spanish kings, walls are swathed in priceless Oriental silks, and entire antechambers are encrusted from floor to ceiling with custom porcelain plaques. Although the modern Spanish monarch no longer lives here, it remains a vibrant, breathing stage for the state's highest-level banquets and royal ceremonies. Wandering through this gilded labyrinth, you witness the spectacular, glittering defiance of an aging empire refusing to let the sun set on its legacy.
