Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy)
A duke's private library meeting in 1711 grew into the institution that still rules what counts as correct Spanish — for Spain and 22 other Spanish-speaking nations.
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Eight scholars gathered in the Marquess of Villena's palace in the Plaza de las Descalzas Reales and, three years later, Philip V signed a Royal Decree formalizing 24 founding members. Their brief: fix Castilian at its 16th-century peak, modeled on the Académie Française. That founding mandate now extends to academies in 22 other Spanish-speaking nations, all coordinated from this Madrid address.
What to look for
- The fiery crucible emblem bearing the word "Limpia" — the academy's chosen symbol for purifying the language
- The corner building at Alarcón Street and Felipe IV — the definitive seat, reached after an earlier address at 26 Valverde Street
- The founding date of 3 August 1713 — the day the book of minutes begins, distinct from the Royal Decree of 3 October 1714
The definitive seat is at the corner of Alarcón Street and Felipe IV Street in central Madrid.
Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy) is one of 31 sights worth the detour in Madrid, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Madrid pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Madrid
- BernabéuThe only stadium on earth to host both a UEFA Champions League final and a Copa Libertadores final — and the first in Europe to crown both a World Cup and a Euro.
- Museo del PradoThe Spanish royal collection — 7,600 paintings accumulated over centuries — opened to the public in November 1819 and never looked back.
- Metropolitano StadiumThe pitch that staged the 2019 Champions League final will host another in 2027 — and is shortlisted for the 2030 World Cup.
- Royal Palace of MadridThe original Alcázar burned to the ground on Christmas Eve 1734 — what the Bourbons built in its place is the largest palace in Western Europe.
- Museo Reina SofíaGuernica — Picasso's 1937 painting of wartime devastation — hangs here at full scale, in person.
- Almudena CathedralMadrid became Spain's capital in 1561 and waited over 300 years for a cathedral — then took another 110 years to finish it.