This intervention is part of the cultural project for the future Real Casa de Campo and will run parallel to the restoration of the Casa de los Vargas, a space linked to the origins of Madrid as a capital. The tunnel, built in 1811 by order of José Bonaparte and designed by architect Juan de Villanueva, facilitated private access from the Royal Palace gardens to the Casa de Campo, which was then a royal recreational and hunting estate.
After its initial public opening in 1931, the construction of the M-30 highway led to the closure of one of its exits and the progressive abandonment of part of the infrastructure. The recent reopening of the section managed by Patrimonio Nacional has recovered a portion of the underground route, but the adaptation of the municipal sector still remains.
According to the City Council, this municipal area lacks original elements of historical value, having been transformed in 2011 into an emergency exit for the M-30. Therefore, the Council proposes to turn it into an interpretive space that narrates the history of the tunnel, its construction, and its connection with the evolution of the Casa de Campo and the old Casa de los Vargas.
The project will be integrated into the Real Casa de Campo plan, coinciding with the commemoration of the fifth centenary of the birth of Philip II. This plan includes the recovery of the Casa de los Vargas, acquired by the monarch in 1561, its Renaissance garden, and the unique 'galería de burlas', a 16th-century hydraulic grotto.
Once the restoration works are completed, a museographic project will be developed to highlight the historical relevance of the complex and its role in shaping Madrid as a capital and in the history of the Royal Sites. The opening of the municipal section of the tunnel is planned to coincide with the inauguration of this new cultural space.
