A historical tree-lined walk in the Prince's Garden.

Historical Groves and Orchards

Historic groves and orchards were one of the main attractions to make Aranjuez a Royal Site, as the kings liked to hunt in these places. Carlos I was the first king who, in the 16th century, began to add groves and pastures to the municipal district of Aranjuez.

A historic road lined with plane trees on the outskirts of Aranjuez. – © Joaquín Álvarez

Tree-lined walkway along the Tagus River. – © Joaquín Álvarez

The historic orchards are still cultivated today and the products of the orchards of Aranjuez are still famous today as varieties that, in their origin, were cultivated to please and entertain the Kings and their court. The tree-lined walks are the most singular and characteristic element of Aranjuez and can be found around the historic groves and orchards around the palace and urban area of Aranjuez. They are made up of a central road flanked on its margins by plantations of one to three alignments of trees.

The Grove of Legamarejo is located at the junction of the Tajo and Jarama rivers. It is a very fertile area thanks to the lime left by rivers down the centuries. – © Joaquin Alvarez

Although initially the Walks were used as a way to beautify the accesses to the Royal Site by means of plantations in alignment, later they constituted the element that has structured the whole territory closest to the palatial nucleus, extending to the space occupied by orchards, meadows and forests a landscape architecture based on nature, replacing the urban facades by curtains of trees. This is how a geometric pattern was designed for walks that had multiple functions: separating cultivated lands, offering beautiful perspectives, making the courtiers' walks fresh and enjoyable, serving as access to certain areas, producing wood, etc..., but none of these functions alone justifies the enormous extension of tree-lined walks that extend for more than 30 kilometers.