{"id":2648,"date":"2014-11-11T20:48:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-11T20:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/?p=2648"},"modified":"2026-10-09T13:56:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T13:56:20","slug":"palacio-de-fernan-nunez-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/articles\/palacio-de-fernan-nunez-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Palacio de Fern\u00e1n N\u00fa\u00f1ez, Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Palacio de Fern\u00e1n N\u00fa\u00f1ez is a 19th-century aristocratic house on Calle Santa Isabel in Madrid, between Atocha station and the Lavapi\u00e9s district. It is the headquarters of the Fundaci\u00f3n de los Ferrocarriles Espa\u00f1oles (Spanish Railways Foundation), which opens it for guided tours. This post covers the history of the palace, the rooms shown on a tour, and how to book in the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

The foundation dates the origin of the palace to 1753. In that year Blas Jover, a member of the council of King Fernando VI, built his house on land that had been part of the gardens of the Convent of Santa Isabel. In 1769 the 13th Duke of Alburquerque bought and altered it. After his death in 1803 a disputed inheritance left the building in use as a barracks, a hospital and housing.<\/p>\n

In 1815 Felipe Mar\u00eda Osorio de la Cueva, 7th Count of Cervell\u00f3n, inherited the house. He later married Mar\u00eda Francisca de As\u00eds Guti\u00e9rrez de los R\u00edos, 2nd Duchess of Fern\u00e1n-N\u00fa\u00f1ez, and the couple rebuilt it between 1847 and 1849 as the Romantic-style palace that survives today. It became one of the centres of Madrid’s social life. A fancy-dress ball held here in February 1884 was attended by King Alfonso XII and Queen Mar\u00eda Cristina.<\/p>\n

The railway connection began in the 20th century. The Compa\u00f1\u00eda de los Ferrocarriles del Oeste de Espa\u00f1a acquired the palace in 1941, and it became the seat of the board of directors of RENFE when the railway companies were nationalised. The foundation has had its headquarters here since 1985. The building now belongs to Adif and Renfe.<\/p>\n

What a tour shows<\/h2>\n

The palace has two parts, the noble area and the service area. The service area was turned into offices from 1941. The noble area is the better preserved. It keeps its original furniture, lamps and ornaments, which is why, according to Madrid’s tourism website, it has served as a set for period films and series for more than seven decades.<\/p>\n

The decoration includes carpets and tapestries from the Real F\u00e1brica de Santa B\u00e1rbara, some of them based on cartoons by Goya, Murano and Baccarat crystal chandeliers, silks, marble and bronze. The rooms singled out by the foundation and the tourism website are:<\/p>\n