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Patrimonio Nacional

National Heritage
Patrimonio Nacional
The Spanish Royal Crown, symbol of Patrimonio Nacional
Agency overview
FormedMay 12, 1865 (1865-05-12) (as Crown Heritage)
March 7, 1940 (1940-03-07) (as National Heritage)
Preceding agencies
  • Crown Heritage (1865–1931)
  • Republic Heritage (1931–1940)
TypeAutonomous agency
JurisdictionSpanish government
HeadquartersRoyal Palace of Madrid
Employees1.231 (2020)[1]
Annual budget149 million, 2023[2]
Agency executives
  • Alfredo Pérez de Armiñán y de la Serna, Chairman
  • Ernesto Abati García-Manso, Manager
Parent departmentMinistry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes
WebsiteWeb Site
Palacio Real de Madrid.
Monasterio de El Escorial.
Palacio Real de Aranjuez.
Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso.
Palacio Real de Riofrío.

Patrimonio Nacional (English: National Heritage) is a Spanish autonomous agency, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish State and used by the Monarch and the Spanish Royal Family as residences and for State Ceremonies. The Patrimonio Nacional includes palaces, gardens, monasteries and convents, called the Royal sites. When not in official use, the Royal sites are open to the public. It also manages the official and holiday residences of the Prime Minister.

The agency was first created in 1865 during the reign of Isabella II under the name of Patrimonio de la Corona (English: Heritage of the Crown). During the reign of her grandson, Alfonso XIII, it was also known as Patrimonio Real (English: Royal Heritage). The second republic (1931–1939) kept the agency under the name of Patrimonio de la República ,(English: Heritage of the Republic), and in 1940, dictator Francisco Franco renamed it to Patrimonio National, the current name.

Patrimonio Nacional organizes temporary exhibitions and concerts in the Royal sites. It also publishes catalogues of the Royal Collections, books on the Royal sites, facsimiles of some of the books held in the library of El Escorial and the Royal Library, visitors guides to the different sites as well as the official photographs of the King of Spain. It also publishes a quarterly magazine, Reales Sitios, about the art collections and cultural history of the Royal sites.

The Royal Family has other palaces that are not controlled by Patrimonio Nacional.

  1. ^ Office of the Comptroller General of the State (2020). Personnel at the service of the State Public Sector (PDF). p. 144.
  2. ^ "State Budget 2023" (PDF).

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