Boat trip on the Great Pond in El Retiro Park

In the heart of the Buen Retiro Park lies this large pond, a popular spot for Madrid residents to sunbathe and go boating.

Built between 1634 and 1636 by the architect Cristóbal de Aguilera, this pond was the centerpiece of the Buen Retiro Palace's pleasure gardens and has hosted aquatic spectacles, such as mock naval battles and mock naval battles, as well as boat rides for the king and his court. In fact, at that time, it was connected by a channel to the Chapel of San Antonio de los Portugueses, now gone, and the Retiro Park even had its own shipyards for building vessels. At that time, the pond had an elliptical island in the center, which was used for theatrical or musical performances. Almost a century later, from this same spot, Farinelli delighted the court of Philip V with his voice. In the last third of the 18th century, the waters covered the central island of the large pond, and at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1902, the monument to Alfonso XII was erected, financed by public subscription and an outstanding example of historicist architecture. Designed by José Grases Riera and completed by Teodoro Anasagasti, the equestrian statue that crowns it is the work of Mariano Benlliure. A boat ride in the Retiro Park pond. Currently, the pond offers various activities within the Retiro Pond Municipal Sports Center, such as rowing (100 boats are available, two of which are wheelchair accessible) and canoeing, aimed at children and young people between 7 and 26 years old and taught by the Madrid Canoeing Federation. In addition, from September to May, two clubs train there: one for rowing, Remo 66, and another for canoeing, Vallehermoso Retiro. In canoeing, the most popular disciplines are paddlers and kayak polo, a type of water polo played in canoes.