blog shmadrid castellano   blog shmadrid
Visiting

Pick Out and Sniff a Rose at the Parque del Oeste

trees and walking path in park
Written by damien

When you first move to live in a new city, one of the best things you can get to know about it is its history, as well as discovering the most relaxing and beautiful places you can visit in the city. However by taking the time to visit the Parque del Oeste you can enjoy the best of both worlds, because this beautiful park situated on the West side of the city not only contains much of Madrid’s history, but it is also one of the most beautiful landmarks in the city.

If you are studying in Madrid for a few months or have decided to live in Madrid permanently, do not forget to visit its beautiful parks, like Parque el Oeste.

Related article: Enjoying Terraces in Madrid

Discover the beauty of Parque del Oeste in Madrid

a white rose in bloom

Photo via Pixabay

It doesn’t matter if you visit the Parque del Oeste soon as you arrive in Madrid, or after you have lived in the city for a few months, either way you will be sure to find it an enthralling experience.

Not only does the park house one of the finest Rose Gardens in all of Europe, but also 242 acres of beautifully tended gardens containing rare and unusual Elm and Horse Chestnut trees.

Establishing the Parque del Oeste was the initiative of Alberto Aguilera, legendary mayor of the city in the period around the beginning of the 20th century. Aguilera was particularly upset about the large landfill that existed on the site previously, and called upon one of Madrid’s finest landscape artists Celedonio Rodrígáñez to establish a park in its place.

Related article: The Most Beautiful Parks in Madrid

temple de debod in parque del oeste madrid

Photo via Pixabay

Sadly during the 1930s and the height of the Spanish Civil War, fighting spread to the park and much of it was destroyed. As a stark reminder of these difficult times, some of the trenches and bunkers that were built in the park can be still seen at its northern end.

After things settled down in the late 1940s much of the park was replanted with thousands of rose bushes making for a central display. The Parque del Oeste underwent another major expansion with a key attraction being added – the Templo de Debod. The Templo de Debod was actually built in the early 2nd century BC in Egypt!

And they transferred ancient brick by ancient brick to the park, where it was reconstructed in its entirety at the expense of the government of Egypt, as a gift to Spain as a show of appreciation for held rendered by Spanish engineers, when the giant Aswan Dam was in danger of collapse due to soil erosion.

Have you been to Parque del Oeste yet? What did you think of the park?

About the author

damien

Originally from France, Damien has made Spain his home. He loves languages, learning, food and startups.

Leave a Comment