That day, nearly a thousand people waited at the main gate of the enclosure, on the Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto, to access one of the capital's most unique and reserved spaces. The opening symbolized a moment of opening during the Spanish Transition, reclaiming a garden steeped in history that had been considered more a reserved Crown space than a public promenade.
The Campo del Moro occupies a privileged position on the western slope of the Royal Palace, offering a different perspective of the building, integrated into a landscape of trees and fountains. Its name originates from an ancient tradition linked to a camp of Alí Ben Yusuf's troops in 1109.
Over the centuries, the grounds were linked to royalty, from the purchase by Philip II to the 19th-century landscaping projects, with contributions from Narciso Pascual y Colomer and Ramón Oliva, who gave it its current romantic and contemplative air. Historic pieces like the Fuente de las Conchas and the Fuente de los Tritones are also part of its legacy, having been moved from other royal sites.
During the Second Republic, the garden had been ceded to the people of Madrid, but after the Civil War, it returned to the jurisdiction of Patrimonio Nacional and remained closed. The 1978 reopening, attended by the mayor José Luis Álvarez Álvarez and the president of Patrimonio Nacional, the Marquis of Mondéjar, was not an inauguration but a reclamation.
The management of the enclosure required twenty gardeners and municipal police officers to maintain its reserved and delicate character, allowing Madrileños to enjoy a promenade that was previously not possible. The garden also houses the Bonaparte Tunnel project, a private 19th-century passage that connected the gardens with the Casa de Campo.
Today, entering the Campo del Moro is commonplace, but this possibility has a specific date. The reclamation of this quiet space, which was too long on the other side of the gate, allowed Madrid to regain a perspective and a place that, even when it belongs to everyone, retains a discreet beauty and an air of mystery.
