{"id":2888,"date":"2014-11-12T20:07:12","date_gmt":"2014-11-12T20:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/?p=2888"},"modified":"2014-11-12T20:07:12","modified_gmt":"2014-11-12T20:07:12","slug":"casa-de-campo-madrid-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/articles\/casa-de-campo-madrid-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Casa de Campo, Madrid, Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you are heading to Madrid, Spain in the upcoming months, either for a romantic getaway or family vacation, you should really try to schedule a trip to the Casa de Campo.\u00a0 Spanish for \u201cCountry House,\u201d the Casa de Campo is the largest urban park in Spain and one of Madrid\u2019s most popular locales for rest and recreation.\u00a0 To give you a clearer picture of this massive park, below we have provided a brief profile, including some interesting notes on its history, a description of some of its plant and animal species, and a glimpse into some of the facilities and activities available for you and your family.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Casa de Campo:\u00a0 Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Casa de Campo encompasses over 1,722 hectares (4,255 acres) of total land area, on which can be found a wide range of facilities, hundreds of plant and animal species and plenty of historical remains from years gone by.\u00a0 These features make the park a perfect getaway for lovers of nature, history and Spanish culture, as well as recreational enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<p>The history of the park dates back several centuries, when in 1553 King Felipe II decided to move the Royal Court to Madrid and ordered the purchase of the Vargas family\u2019s country home.\u00a0 Over time, the park continued to expand with the addition of adjoining properties, and during the reign of Fernando VI it was declared a Royal Forest.\u00a0 This was primarily due to the park\u2019s proximity to the Royal Palace and the purpose the park played as a hunting site.\u00a0 When King Carlos III took the throne in the mid 1700s, Casa de Campo underwent reforms and the park was transformed into a livestock and farming area, activities continued during the reign of Queen Maria Cristina.<\/p>\n<p>With the dawn of the Second Republic in Spain, ownership of the Casa de Campo was transferred to the city and the park was finally opened to the public for their enjoyment.\u00a0 Activities in the park were put on hold, however, during the three-year Spanish Civil War, as the site became one of the many stages of battles and bombings.\u00a0 To the delight of all Madril\u00e8nos, the park was reopened for good in 1946.\u00a0 Since then, reforestation efforts and the development of recreational and cultural facilities have made the park one of the city\u2019s most treasured attractions.<\/p>\n<p>Casa de Campo has been home to many historical structures throughout its history.\u00a0 Many of those have since been destroyed by weather, fire, time and war, but a few well-preserved buildings continue to stand proudly to this day.\u00a0 These include the majestic Palacio de Vargas and the Puente de la Culebra (Snake Bridge), built by Sabatini in 1782 on the Arroyo de Meaques, a tributary to Madrid\u2019s main river and water source, the Rio Manzanares.<\/p>\n<p>Other historical remains in the Casa de Campo include the mid-19<sup>th<\/sup> century <em>Railway Bridge<\/em>; <em>La Tapia<\/em>, built by Sabatini to transport water; <em>La Partida<\/em>, a site for experimenting with medicinal plants; the <em>Reservado<\/em>, gardens that surround the Palacio de los Vargas; the historical fountains; and several trenches and bunkers from the Spanish Civil War.<\/p>\n<p>Casa de Campo\u2019s rich vegetation and animal life is what makes this park such a great place to visit.\u00a0 Oak trees, many of which are well over 100 years old, are the dominant species in the park, but the pine-forest ecosystem also now boasts a large number of trees that have adapted flawlessly to the light, dry conditions of the park.\u00a0 In addition to the plant life, there are over 133 species of animals in the park.\u00a0 Birds outnumber all other animals, especially sparrows, but also finches, blue-throats and owls.\u00a0 Rabbits, squirrels and even a hedgehog or two can also be seen regularly, as can reptiles such as geckos, Montpellier snakes and Iberian lizards.<\/p>\n<p>As for things to do and see in the park, the Parque de Atracciones, or amusement park, is a great way to spend the day, and the National Zoo, which features over 500 species of animals, is perfect for the animal lovers in the family. \u00a0Visitors to the park can also participate in a wide range of land and water sports, including jogging, cycling, tennis, swimming and canoeing, and can later cool off at one of the many restaurants or cultural facilities located on the grounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are heading to Madrid, Spain in the upcoming months, either for a romantic getaway or family vacation, you should really try to schedule a trip to the Casa de Campo.\u00a0 Spanish for \u201cCountry House,\u201d the Casa de Campo is the largest urban park in Spain and one of Madrid\u2019s most popular locales for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-madrid"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Casa de Campo, Madrid, Spain<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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