# Green Madrid



## diegodbs (Mar 12, 2008)

The population of the city of Madrid is roughly 3.2 million, while the estimated metropolitan area is calculated to be 5.84 million.

According to the book "Gardens of Madrid" by Carmen Ariza and Óscar Masats and data from Madrid regional government as of November-2005, there are more than 100 parks in Madrid, dozens of smaller gardens and 298,142 trees in the streets of Madrid. 

These are some of those 298,142 trees in the streets and squares.














































































5,000 hectares of parks and gardens (not including Monte del Pardo and its 16,000 hectares) and although there is no official "census" of the trees in Casa de Campo Park, there are about 500,000 trees in that park.

The Department of Parks and Gardens, depending on Madrid Local Authorities, established an official "census" of the approximate 300,000 trees in the streets of Madrid, and an "identity card" specifying when the tree was planted, when it was pruned, its age and problems.


This is by no means an exhaustive report on the green areas of Madrid, but a very brief summary with a couple of details and just a few pics so you can catch a glimpse of these green spaces.

All the pics have been taken by me except the view from the balloon and those inside Monte del Pardo.


*Main urban green spaces in Madrid (Spain*):

1 HECTARE = 2,471 ACRES



- Monte del Pardo 16,000 hectares. One of the best preserved Mediterranean forests, at only 8 km from Madrid city centre. 

It was a royal hunting forest too. King Alfonso XI back in 1340 wrote a Treaty on Hunting where the Monte del Pardo was already mentioned. The current wall built of granite and brick dates back to 1750.

Around 15,100 hectares of Monte del Pardo are surrounded by a wall (66 km long) with approximately 4000 fallow deer, 3000 deer, 500 wild boars and 30000 rabbits as well as many other birds and birds of prey (vultures, golden eagles, imperial eagles, storks, cranes, owls, magpies, red-legged partridge), mammals (wild cats, martens, badgers, etc) and reptiles. This walled area is strictly forbidden to visitors.

The remaining 900 hectares are open to the public.


The grey area is the city of Madrid. Puerta del Sol, the square considered to be Madrid city centre is only 8 km from Monte del Pardo southern limit.











Skyscrapers in Madrid seen from Monte del Pardo.











Monte del Pardo.












- Casa de Campo 1,722 hectares. It was created by Philip II in 1560 as a royal hunting place.










Casa de Campo









Casa de Campo









Casa de Campo









Casa de Campo










Casa de Campo seen from West Park










Casa de Campo seen from West Park












Casa de Campo








Flickr.





*Largest gardens and parks:*


- El Retiro (118 hectares). It was created in 1630-1640. It has about 15,000 trees.



















El Retiro









El Retiro









El Retiro









El Retiro














- Jardín Botánico (Royal Botanic Gardens) created in 1780 with more than 30,000 species of trees and plants






























- Parque del Oeste (98 hectares) It was created in 1906.























































































- Campo del Moro (20 hectares)






























- Jardines de Sabatini












- Alameda de Osuna. Parque el Capricho (18 hectares)
It was built in 1787-1839












- Quinta de los Molinos (25 hectares)

Created in 1920. It has many olive trees, pine trees and eucalyptuses, almond trees are the most spectacular though, especially when they bloom in February.













- Parque Juan Carlos I (160 hectares)











- Parque de la Arganzuela











- Parque Tierno Galván (45 hectares)











- Parque Fuente del Berro (13 hectares)

Origin: a vast orchard with fruit trees and vineyards bought by king Philip IV in 1630
In 1954 the gardens were opened to the public.































- Dehesa de la Villa (60-70 hectares)
It is the oldest park in Madrid, the first historic reference to it dates back to May 1st 1122 when king Alfonso VII gave this plot of land to the city of Madrid to be used as pastureland.





















Thanks for reading.


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## picassoborseli (Sep 15, 2005)

Very nice! 

How about the Manzanares river and the Avenida de Portugal?


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## LS Kim (Jun 26, 2006)

Wow! So beautiful :drool:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Nice thread diegodbs :cheers: really nice work kay:


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## SSC>SCC (Aug 1, 2008)

I didn't know that Madrid is so green. :eek2:


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2008)

Really great thread. You made a great effort, thank you very much


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## diegodbs (Mar 12, 2008)

Thank you all. ^^


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## xever_7 (Jan 13, 2008)

Wow those parks look awesome and big. I didn't know Madrid was so green.


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## felipebarros2003 (May 10, 2007)

Great thread!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for showing us Madrid's oasis.


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## Adams3 (Mar 2, 2007)

Thats what I call a quality thread! Great to see such big green areas in the spanish capital!


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## diegodbs (Mar 12, 2008)

Thank you Adams3 and thank you all again.


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## PedroGabriel (Feb 5, 2007)

yups, very interesting/useful thread, quite informative and streight to the point.

I hope more thread like this show up, some are a bit touristy, pretty pics without much information about the place. information doesn't need a huge text, of course.


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## Obidos (Dec 23, 2005)

Wonderful work and wonderful thread diego, thank you very much for your big effort.
Some other parks as Parque de Atenas, Parque de Berlin, Parque de la Elipa, Parque del Cerro del Tio Pio (de las Tetas), Cuña verde de Latina, may be added... probably some others too but I do not know their names now... but your thread is really nice.
I have some pics from Quinta de los Molinos with the cherry tree flowers


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## diegodbs (Mar 12, 2008)

PedroGabriel said:


> yups, very interesting/useful thread, quite informative and streight to the point.
> 
> I hope more thread like this show up, some are a bit touristy, pretty pics without much information about the place. information doesn't need a huge text, of course.


Thanks, I tried this thread to be interesting/useful as you say and not only a collection of nice pics, indeed some pics of the thread are not "nice" but I don't care. Just some pics about a certain garden or park and some data, not many data in most cases except about Monte del Pardo but I think it was worth in that particular case.



> Wonderful work and wonderful thread diego, thank you very much for your big effort.
> Some other parks as Parque de Atenas, Parque de Berlin, Parque de la Elipa, Parque del Cerro del Tio Pio (de las Tetas), Cuña verde de Latina, may be added... probably some others too but I do not know their names now... but your thread is really nice.
> I have some pics from Quinta de los Molinos with the cherry tree flowers


Thanks for the cherry trees 
As for the other parks, there are sooooo many. As I said in my first post, more than 100 hundred of all sizes.
Now I am preparing another thread about the statues of Madrid, you wouldn't believe how many statues there are in this city :nuts:


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## neuromancer (Jan 5, 2004)

Wooooow!!! great thread. I´ll put some pics.

PD: podías poner las fotos también en el hilo de parques y jardines del foro madrileño


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## Pavlemadrid (Nov 30, 2006)

Woww!
Thanks!


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## Prosciutto (Jun 28, 2006)

Incredible.


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## wapo5050 (Jun 28, 2008)

Wow! incredible Madrid! have you got pics of the El Capricho Park? i saw it and it was very beautiful


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## Sky_Line (May 19, 2007)

Diegobs no sé que me pasa contigo pero no se me ve ninguna de las imágenes que subes y no hablo exclusivamente de este tema, ¿te las han eliminado?

Saludos.


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## Pavlemadrid (Nov 30, 2006)

^^
Yo si las veo... :?


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## JohnnyMass (Feb 6, 2005)

Very nice thread Diego!:yes:

And for those of you who want to see more pictures of some parks of Madrid, check this onde out!kay: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=25610654#post25610654

It takes a little to load but I think it's worth waiting!


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## aleko (Jun 23, 2005)

Lindo lindo! Una ciudad con parques por conocer, todos con un toque muy elegante.


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## madridhere (Oct 10, 2005)

I want to complete wonderful Diego´s pictures with these images of the gardens of the Royal Palace.


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## JAVICUENCA (Dec 27, 2004)

Lovely pictures. Thanks, Madridhere.


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## wapo5050 (Jun 28, 2008)

Wow! impresive and stunning places


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## Shezan (Jun 21, 2007)

Royal Palace park is stunning kay:


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## pacman_1905 (Dec 30, 2005)

Madrid is really a beautiful city....Nice shots!!!


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## Daviolo (Nov 11, 2007)

Wow! Madriz is fantastic!
thank you very much, Diegodbs, for all this threads about Madriz city


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## jesarm (Dec 26, 2004)

what a beutiful thread. Thank you


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## pokistic (May 8, 2007)

Green + Madrid. Amazing!


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## Pavlemadrid (Nov 30, 2006)

*Parque de Berlin*
It's not a very important park, I want to show a nice normal park of Madrid 






















































A school:









Some houses:









A relatively new church:


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Madrid is far more green than I expected it to be given the climate of the area!


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## zazo (Dec 5, 2005)

so may be you don't know how the climate is ( spanish regions are so so so so different, to understand the country you've to visit every region, it's radical! )


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## Pavlemadrid (Nov 30, 2006)

Svartmetall said:


> Madrid is far more green than I expected it to be given the climate of the area!


Spain has veeeeeery different climates & areas... 
Glaciers, very green landscapes in north, Mediterranean landscapes, volcanic landscapes, tropical forests (in Canary Islands ), deserts, vaaaaast cultivated plains, 4 mountain ranges over 2500 meters altitude (5 over 2300 metres), peaks over 3400 meters in the peninsula and over 3700 metres in archipielagos.
A area where rain loooots is Grazalema, in south Spain, 2150 mm per year, 4400mm 25 years ago! :O


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## chuchero (Mar 26, 2008)

I´ve had the previlegy to visit that city several time and i think after ten thousend time you want to visit at least once more. Madrid is beautifull and elegant, if you visit it on spring you will never forget that picture, i promise.


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## Pavlemadrid (Nov 30, 2006)

^^


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

*In what month is Madrid province at its greenest?* 

I'm thinking in May, when the leaves have returned and the region has taken some rainfall. :dunno:

..Thanks!


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## diegodbs (Mar 12, 2008)

gonzo said:


> *In what month is Madrid province at its greenest?*
> 
> I'm thinking in May, when the leaves have returned and the region has taken some rainfall. :dunno:
> 
> ..Thanks!


Yes, I think so.


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## aficionada (Jun 27, 2009)

madridhere said:


> I want to complete wonderful Diego´s pictures with these images of the gardens of the Royal Palace.


Con lo que me gusta lo verde, 
azul del cielo, flores y parques; me gustaron mucho. No dejes de visitar este lugar allì veràs fotos que he colocado de Medellìn 
^^http://af-za.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=5610357502&view=all ^^


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