Today I would like to present to you a unique building, which marked a milestone in its time and which stands out, mainly, for the spectacular display of charm and fantasy, which make it one of the most outstanding and, in fact, most visited places in Madrid: the Crystal Palace.
Considered the first iron and glass building to be built in Spain, outside the purely industrial field, the Crystal Palace, in addition to having a curious and ancient history, occupies one of the most beautiful corners of that immeasurable lung, which is the Retirement Park.
In fact, the design of the small lake and the small grotto that surround it were also designed by the architect in charge of the project at the request of the Ministry of Public Works: Ricardo Velázquez Bosco.
This happened in 1887, on the occasion of the celebration of the General Exhibition of the Philippines and despite its curious design, which we will discuss later, it was originally conceived as a greenhouse.
Its design confirms that taste that during the 19th century and well into the 20th century looked towards other previous architectural styles, especially Romanesque and Gothic, defended and at the same time popularized by architects of certain fame and renown, as would be the case. from the French architect and restorer of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, Viollet le Duc.
So, it should not be surprising that within its stylized fantasy, its original plant had the shape of a Greek cross, that is, a cross with equal arms, a model that used to be characteristic of many Gothic churches, but in this case Possibly to add a touch of classical originality to the design, one of these arms was replaced by the incorporation of a portal, clearly classicist, in which its monumental eight Solomonic columns stand out, imitating the old style known as Ionic.
Other noteworthy elements and at the same time of meritorious value, is the use, outside, of a beautiful ceramic frieze, the work of the renowned painter and ceramist Daniel Zuloaga, whose extraordinary works and innovations in the field of traditional ceramic art were certainly praised in their day and highly valued today.
Another of the characteristics of this building, whose measurements are 54 meters long by 28 meters wide and a dome that reaches 22.60 meters in height and stands out from the rest of the roofs –which in a certain way also recalls the primitive design of the Visigothic basilicas - is that it was erected in the record time of five months.
Entering its interior is like entering a vast universe, where space and light offer the sensation of infinite placidity, as it should be, putting us in a comparative plan, the modern futuristic designs for space stations and even for the colonization of planets like Mars, offering a perspective not only of the surrounding environment, but also of the sky, really worth taking into account.
For years, it has depended on the Queen Sofía National Art Museum and therefore, its use derives instead of exhibitions of Contemporary Art, being at present, the place where the work of the Catalan artist, Pep Agut, entitled Madrid’s Meridian: dream and lie ', which basically deals with themes such as representation, language and architecture and is made up of the succession of columns, both whole and fragmented, that can be seen inside.
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