Anniversary of the declaration of the Paseo del Prado and El Buen Retiro: Landscape of Arts and Sciences as a World Heritage Site
The Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport has invested more than five million euros since 2021 in the conservation of sculptures, monuments, and emblematic fountains of the World Heritage Site.
More than 350,000 people have visited the Landscape of Light Interpretation Center, located in the Cibeles Palace.
The restoration of the Cibeles Fountain and the work carried out on the Neptune Fountain and the Puerta de Alcalá have been the main projects undertaken during this period.
Over these five years, more than 50,000 free places have been offered in cultural activities to explore the World Heritage Site.
Madrid commemorates today, July 25, the fifth anniversary of the inclusion of the Paseo del Prado and the Buen Retiro Park, a landscape of arts and sciences known as the Landscape of Light, on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Since its declaration in 2021, the Madrid City Council, through its Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sport, has spearheaded intensive conservation, research, and promotion efforts for this unique urban cultural landscape, consolidating a management model that combines heritage protection with public access.
The Delegate for Culture, Tourism, and Sport, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, emphasized that “these five years demonstrate that the declaration of the Landscape of Light was not an end point, but rather the beginning of an ongoing commitment to the conservation and dissemination of one of the most important cultural and natural spaces in Europe. Our goal is to protect this legacy and, at the same time, bring it closer to the people of Madrid so they can discover, enjoy, and feel a sense of ownership over its exceptional universal value.”
More than five million euros to conserve a unique heritage
Since 2021, the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage and Urban Landscape has carried out more than 450 preventive conservation and restoration projects on sculptures, monuments, and other heritage elements located within the area declared a World Heritage Site.
Among the most significant projects are the restoration of the monuments to Alfonso XII and General Martínez Campos, works by Mariano Benlliure; the complex intervention on the sculpture of Hercules and the Hydra, also located in Retiro Park; and the comprehensive interventions carried out on the Fountain of Neptune and the Puerta de Alcalá, which was awarded the Europa Nostra Prize in 2025.
In addition, the restoration of the Cibeles Fountain is currently underway. Begun this July thanks to the collaboration of L’Oréal Groupe Spain, this project, with an investment of 274,000 euros, includes cleaning, material consolidation, and structural improvements. Furthermore, thanks to the ‘Open for Restoration’ program, developed in collaboration with the Forum for Madrid, a total of 2,640 citizens will be able to access the interior of the scaffolding to learn firsthand about the conservation work and discover one of Madrid’s great icons from a unique perspective.
The city’s commitment to conservation will continue this year with new projects, including the restoration of the sculptural ensemble dedicated to Ramón de Campoamor in El Retiro Park.
Heritage education for all audiences
Disseminating the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site is another key element of the Landscape of Light Management Plan. Since 2021, the City Council has offered 40,250 free places within the ‘Walk Madrid’ program to explore the Paseo del Prado, El Retiro Park, and the Landscape of Light Interpretation Center, in addition to developing special itineraries linked to important cultural events.
In addition, there are the workshops organized within the ‘Madrid, an Open Book’ program, in which more than 6,000 schoolchildren participated between 2023 and 2026; the dramatized tours held in the Royal Botanical Garden and Retiro Park; the educational workshops organized with the UNESCO Associated Schools Network; and a wide-ranging program of conferences and cultural activities that has brought together more than 3,200 attendees.
An interpretation center that welcomes over 350,000 visitors
Since its opening in December 2022 at the Cibeles Palace, the Landscape of Light Interpretation Center has established itself as the main gateway to understanding the historical, scientific, natural, and cultural values of this World Heritage Site.
The space has already welcomed over 350,000 visitors and offers a permanent program of guided tours, educational activities, and temporary exhibitions in collaboration with institutions such as the Royal Botanical Garden, the Royal Spanish Academy, the Cuesta de Moyano, and currently, the Círculo de Bellas Artes.
In parallel, the City Council has promoted various open-air exhibitions in Retiro Park dedicated to key figures in Madrid architecture, such as Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, Antonio Palacios, and Luis Gutiérrez Soto, as well as exhibitions focused on restoration projects like the Puerta de Alcalá.
Furthermore, since 2021, the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sport has been developing annual specialized training programs for municipal staff and actively participates in technical meetings of World Heritage managers, contributing to the exchange of knowledge and best practices in the conservation and management of cultural heritage. /
