The Prado Museum in Madrid

Spain is home to many internationally known museums. These include the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, the Guggenheim Museum and the Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueras. However, the most famous museums in Spain can be found in Madrid, including the Prado Museum.

The Prado Museum in Madrid

The Prado Museum is one of the world's most famous museums. Together with the Museum Thyssen - Bornemisza and the Museum Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, the Prado Museum is part of Madrid's Golden Triangle.

The building of the Prado Museum was designed in 1785 and the museum was open to the public in November 1819. In 2007, the museum was remodeled and expanded by 50%. The renovation added the former Jeronimos Monastery to the museum. The new section includes a restaurant, a restoration studio and the temporary exhibitions are located here.

The museum contains works dating from the 14th to 19th centuries. The collection includes 5,000 drawings, 2,000 applied art objects, 2,000 prints and 700 sculptures. Besides the masterpieces, don't miss the fine art with Greek works and the beautiful Roman murals.

In the 16th century, the Netherlands fell under Spanish rule, causing the works of a number of Dutch and Flemish artists to be exhibited at the Prado Museum. This collection includes works by Bosch, Pieter Brughel and Rubens, among others.

To visit the museum, it is recommended to take at least one day. For those who only have a few hours or half a day, the Prado Museum has outlined 3 routes to visit the museum's masterpieces. The shortest route takes about 1 hour and takes you past 15 works of art. To see 30 works, it is recommended to take the 2-hour route. Should you have 3 hours, it is also possible to follow the longest route that takes you past 50 works. Among others, "The Annunciation" by Fra Angelico, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch and "The Three Graces" by Rubens are visited during these routes. In addition to international works, Spanish works are also incorporated into the routes. For example, one passes Velázquez's "Las Meninas" and Ribera's "Jacob's Dream.