| photos of aranjuez, spain monday, june 12, 2000 - tuesday, june 13, 2000 this overnighter was primarily to put us close to madrid for our flight out the next morning. we/i really didn't want to try and find a place to stay in madrid (traffic!). as it turns out (and as with most small towns in spain), aranjuez did have it's own historical significance. (click the images for a big picture) back to: castillo de calatrava, spain end of trip actually, we returned to madrid for our flight home start of trip: madrid, spain |
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Current "Aranjuez" was the name of an ancient pasture
laying approximately on the lands between the Tajo (Tagus, the "Sea" of
Ont�gola, the Street of the King, and the Bare of the Star. This area belonged to a
council called Aranz, about the gasket of the Tajo (Tagus) and Jarama rivers. From
the time of Felipe II, the name of Aranjuez served to designate the Place, thereinafter
Royal Place and, from the reign of Fernando VI , name of the population was seated
there. Very previously, the "vega" (rich lowland area) of Aranjuez presented accessions and multiple culture remains and peoples. Besides, paleolithic equipment, stone axes of the neolithic, ceramics, weapons and personal objects of the ages of the bronze and of the iron and colonizing peoples vestiges and Roman remains (house foundations, graves, registrations and coins) were found in that zone. |
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When the queen Isabel I procured for her husband, the king Fernando
V, the manager appointment of the Maestrazgo of the Command of Santiago, Aranjuez
began to be visited by the kings of Castille.Then, refurbishment at the palace was carried
out as well as in the Island of the Garden, that was called Island of the Queen. In
the year 1520, the "Alcayde" (spokeman) of the Royal Family, D. Gonzalo de
Chac�n, accomplished some hydraulic works and of enhancement in the Palace. Three years
afterwards, the pasture of Aranjuez is converted into royal property, upon forming part of
"Tabla Maestral" (something like the Round Table), whose head was the king Carlos
I, who had received the Master Dignity from the Pope Adriano VI , as well as
the Master dignity of Santiago and the administration of the Tabla Maestral to perpetuity. Upon Felipe II reaching the throne, the Royal Forest grew in reputation and lands, being designated "Sitio Real" (something like: Royal Council) and then public visiting was forbidden, as exclusive property of the monarch. Millraces were built by the Jarama, trees planted and numerous "huertas" (orchards and vegetable gardens)were developed. A new palace was raised, antecedent of the current, in 1561, by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. The first Ordinances of Government of the Royal Place were dictated and several buildings were constructed and still preserved. Large avenues of "chopos" (local word for the poplar tree), black elms, trees, jasmines and grapevines were planted. The "Garden of the Islands" was reformed as well as the flower hedges. The statues and fountains were expanded. Aranjuez was the natural wealth model and in 1551 was created the first botanical garden of the world and a distiller of perfumes and medicinal water. There's a lot more could be said about the history of Aranjuez. |
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Rita relaxing back at the Hotel Castillo |
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Chris (tomorrow we fly home) |
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| back to: castillo de
calatrava, spain end of trip actually, we returned to madrid for our flight home start of trip: madrid, spain |
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