Casa de Campo
Casa de Campo is the largest publicly accessible park in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. Located west of the city of Madrid, the park is located in the district of Casa de Campo, which in turn belongs to the municipality of Moncloa - Aravaca. In the south, it borders on the district of Latina, on the west by the Autonomous Community of Pozuelo de Alarcón. The park is located on Monte de El Pardo and has an area of 1722.6 hectares, which includes the site of the Club de Campo.
Before Casa de Campo in 1931 left to the people of Madrid as a recreation area, he was in the possession of the Spanish royal family and served as a hunting ground. Today, located in the Park facilities such as the amusement park of Madrid, the cable car that connects Casa de Campo with the Parque del Oeste, the Madrid Zoo, as well as parts of the exhibition site IFEMA and various sports facilities.
History
Before the Habsburgs
Casa de Campo is how the entire right bank of the Manzanares River, inhabited since the Paleolithic period. Traces from the Neolithic period have been preserved until today.
In the Antonine Itinerary, a list of the main Roman Empire roads and settlements, a place called Miaccum is mentioned, which should have been lying ( in Roman times ) within the limits of the park. It is believed that the name of this settlement the name of a creek derives the Meaques which flows through the park in the river basin of the River Manzanares.
From the 4th century, the center of the Iberian Peninsula is experiencing a process of decay, which means that with the arrival of the Arabs in the 7th century, the whole area is practically depopulated. This changes only when Muhammad I mid-9th century can build the fortress Magerit, in their place stands the Royal Palace today.
End of the 14th century makes Henry III. the area around the Hochwald Monte de El Pardo to his seat of power. A number of established noble families consolidate their power by buying lands in its vicinity. All this influenced the decision to Madrid to appoint two centuries later to the capital, with a major.
One of these families were the " Vargas ", one of the oldest aristocratic families of medieval Madrid, the village, together with lands acquired for the right bank of the Manzanares, which extended as far as Carabanchel and include today's Casa de Campo.
The Habsburgs
1519 builds Francisco de Vargas, at times of the Catholic Monarchs of the Consejo de Castilla (German Council of Castile ), a country house (Spanish casa de campo ) in the lands that his family owned the other side of the Manzanares.
Before 1561 the royal court was finally moved to Madrid, had seen around the castle for the still living in Brussels, Philip II through expropriations and successive purchases of lands to isolate his future residence of the rest of the city. The hunting enthusiasts king, who knew about the rich hunting grounds of the Monte de El Pardo, also planned further acquisitions of lands between El Pardo and the lock to be there to create a large forest. With its exceptional closeness to rulers of this seat should serve the king as the preferred hunting reserve.
To achieve this, ordered Philip II of Brussels from 1559 to his secretary Juan Vázquez de Molina, buy up the land in the vicinity of the castle, to whom was the country house of Fadrique de Vargas. These should then be converted to the planned hunting area, its use, however, only the royal family should be reserved.
By a royal decree of 1562, Philip II finally appropriates the country house of Vargas. During the next five years - until 1567 - the old Vargas residence is converted into a hunting lodge, under the direction of architect Juan Bautista de Toledo. This is also responsible for the later construction of the nearby gardens, which are known as El Reservado. The well-known for his work on the gardens of the Palace of Aranjuez Italian gardener Jerónimo de Algora can in these gardens Muslim and Flemish as well as - for the first time Spain - incorporated elements of Baroque gardens, which will be pivotal for the Spanish classical gardens.
Various ponds and a canal system that is required for their care are constructed by Dutchman Pierre Jasen. Some of the ponds are navigable by small boats and at least one of them, situated near the lake ' Lago ', was flat enough to freeze in the winter and there are indications that Philip III. - Even as a prince - with skates ran on it.