Paseo del Prado
The Paseo del Prado is one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Spain. It runs north–south between the Plaza de Cibeles and the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, with the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo lying approximately in the middle. The Paseo del Prado forms the southern end of the city's central axis. It enjoys the status of Bien de Interés Cultural, and as part of a combined UNESCO World Heritage Site with Buen Retiro Park.
Etymology
Paseo del Prado takes its name from what was once the Prado de los Jerónimos, a group of fields surrounding the Monastery of San Jerónimo El Real, upon which the boulevard was built.Description
This densely tree-lined, wide and central avenue is a landmark for the city residents and the location of important cultural and tourist spots in the city, including the so-called Golden Triangle of Art, which encompasses three museums: the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the Reina Sofia Museum. In the vicinity are the Parque del Buen Retiro, the Casón del Buen Retiro, CaixaForum Madrid, the headquarters of the Real Academia Española, the Bolsa de Madrid, and the Congreso de los Diputados.The Paseo del Prado boulevard includes several monuments and enclosures that are of historical and artistic interest, erected in the eighteenth century for the Hall of Prado urban project. Numerous ornamental and landscaping grounds were constructed for this project. The highlights of this project include the Villanueva Building, the Royal Botanical Gardens and three sculptural water fountains designed by Ventura Rodriguez, depicting Neptune, Cibeles and Apollo.
A controversial project of thorough reform and revitalization of the Paseo del Prado and the Paseo de Recoletos, known as Plan Especial Recoletos-Prado and authored by an international team of architects led by Álvaro Siza, was approved by the city council on 23 June 2005, but as of December 2010 its environmental impact study is still underway and reconstruction has not been initiated.