Originally, the Retiro park was neither a park nor a public park; it was the property of the kings of Spain and their nobility.
With the intention of enlarging the Royal Quarters, which were located in the Hieronymites Monastery, the idea was to create a sort of Versailles, where some architectural jewels would be built around the royal palace. This idea gave rise to the Buen Retiro Palace and the Buen Retiro Gardens, a recreational estate for the kings.
These gardens are now part of the park, albeit with modifications. The initial area stretched from the Paseo del Prado to a little beyond the Retiro pond, the rest being added later. Of the Buen Retiro Palace, the Salón de Reinos and the Salón de Baile, known as the Casón del Buen Retiro, have been preserved.
This architectural ensemble was built in the first half of the 17th century by order of Philip IV, on land that belonged to the Count-Duke of Olivares, his valid owner.
The most outstanding feature of El Retiro was that it was located inside the city zoo, which contained an elephant, tigers, lions, wolves, etc. Charles III requested that an animal park and the Royal Porcelain Factory be built on Cuesta de Moyano.
In 1868, the Casa de Fieras de El Retiro began to be open to the public, until 1972 when the zoo was moved to the Casa de Campo. In 2013 a library was created in its place.
During the reign of Ferdinand VII, the park was replanted and the buildings of the Casa de Fieras, the Real Embarcadero and the Jardín de Caprichos or Jardín de Reservado, of which some buildings remain, such as the Artificial Mountain and the Casita del Pescador (Fisherman's Cottage).
In addition, some important buildings within the Retiro park are the Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal, the greatest exponent of Madrid's iron architecture and the work of the architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, who was inspired by London's Crystal Palace and Paxton's Crystal Palace.
Other places to visit are the statue of the Fallen Angel, the Embarcadero, Paseo de las Estatuas, the Noria de Agua, the equestrian statue monument to Alfonso XII, the Fuente de los Galápagos, the Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez, and the Teatro de Títeres, among others.
The Ibiza neighbourhood is the district's main gastronomic attraction, with a large concentration of bars and restaurants between the streets Ibiza, Doctor Castelo, Menorca, Narváez and López Rueda.
There are numerous restaurants in Retiro, such as Florida Retiro restaurant, La Castela, Arzábal Retiro restaurant, La Montería, O'Grelo, Taberna Laredo, Triana, Mercado de Ibiza restaurant, La Raquetista, La Catapa, Marcano, Vinos de Bellota, Sazón-arte, Levél Veggie Bistro, KultO, Aarde restaurant, Palacio de Cibeles restaurant, Horcher and Viridiana restaurant, among others.
