La Quinta del Berro Park

Madrid-Spain, 2025

From 1630, under king Felipe IV’s mandate, a new Royal Park was created in Madrid. Its historic value is due to its renown waters, consumed by the Royal family and the inhabitants of Madrid.

In 1954, the park ownership was passed to the community and has been open to the public since. It offers a landscaped garden with various levels, has a rich variety of old trees, monuments, statures, fountains, waterfalls, small ponds and wildlife. I used to visit the park with my grandparents when I was a child.

In January, I decided to have a stroll in the park to explore what has changed in the last 45 years. I found that the park in itself looks as I remember it, with the exception of a reduction in the number of peacocks from 100 to five. However, on one of the sides, the surroundings have dramatically changed. The adjacent fields and empty spaces are now densely populated with compact apartments, busting motorways lanes that are flanked by dedicated lines for cyclist and runners.

I was delighted to learn this park has been included in the 75 km long green belt being created around Madrid – a Metropolitan Forest.