Palacio de Cristal

The Palacio de Cristal is a glass pavilion in the Retiro park, and it is one of the most beautiful buildings in Madrid. Ricardo Velázquez Bosco designed it in 1887 as a giant greenhouse for the Exhibition of the Philippines, then a Spanish colony, to show tropical plants and flowers from the islands. It stands on a rise above a small lake with a fountain and a few bald cypresses growing out of the water, and on a bright day the whole structure, iron ribs, curved glass and a shallow dome, seems to float among the trees.

Today the building belongs to the Museo Reina Sofía, the national museum of modern and contemporary art, and it is used for a programme of temporary installations by living artists. There is no permanent collection inside. Artists are invited to respond to the transparent space, its light and its setting, so each visit is different: you may find a forest of hanging threads, a mirrored floor, a sound piece or an empty pavilion. Admission is free.

A short walk away through the park is the Palacio de Velázquez, a brick and tile exhibition hall by the same architect that the Reina Sofía also uses for temporary shows. The two buildings, the lake, and the surrounding paths of the Retiro make a pleasant circuit of an hour or two, best combined with the rest of the park.