Capricho Park

Before us is one of the green spaces that make up the natural artistic heritage of Madrid. It is one of the most beautiful and, paradoxically, one of the least known. The Duke and Duchess of Osuna--especially by the Duchess, María Josefa de la Soledad Alonso Pimentel, created it in 1784. As a protector of artists, bullfighters, and intellectuals, the Duchess created an authentic natural paradise frequently visited by the most distinguished personalities of the period, and where the most prestigious artists, gardeners, and set designers worked. After the death of the Duchess, the Park began to lose popularity, a situation that continued until 1974 when the Madrid City Council bought the Park and began its restoration, which finished in 1999. The Park houses important botanical, sculptural, and artistic treasures. Among them are shrines, hermitages, fountains, small plazas, and the palace of dukes, among others. The garden is composed of three sections: the parterre or French garden, the English landscape, and the Italian giardino. The parterre lies in front of the west façade of the palace, with its trimmed hedges embroidering the lawn. The Italian garden is in the lower section, the oldest part of the original property, where the hedges are combined with trees under which people can sit in the sun during winter, or take shelter from it in the summer. Nearby, the labyrinth, created for amorous play as well as hide-and-seek, is made up of laurel trees and is consistent with the original plans used for the seeding and planting during the period in which the Duchess was still alive. And lastly, the remainder of the Park is designed as a typical English landscape garden, evoking nature in its pure state and suggesting leisurely walks and discovery of hidden places.