Palace of Charles V and the Wine Gate
Why is it significant?
Step through the rusticated portal of the monumental Palace of Charles the Fifth, an architectural masterpiece of the European High Renaissance that conceals an extraordinary geometric marvel: a strictly square outer footprint measuring sixty-three meters on each side enclosing a colossal circular…
Key Facts
| Place | Palace of Charles V and the Wine Gate |
|---|---|
| Address | Placeta de Carlos V s/n, 18009 Granada, Spain |
| Geo Coordinates | 37.17680, -3.59000 |
| Part of Walk | The Alhambra and Generalife: Nasrid Palaces, Fortress and Royal Gardens |
| Generated | Generated |
Step through the rusticated portal of the monumental Palace of Charles the Fifth, an architectural masterpiece of the European High Renaissance that conceals an extraordinary geometric marvel: a strictly square outer footprint measuring sixty-three meters on each side enclosing a colossal circular interior courtyard thirty meters across. Conceived by the Holy Roman Emperor following his honeymoon in Granada in 1526 and designed by Pedro Machuca, a direct pupil of Michelangelo, the palace symbolized the universal authority of the Spanish Empire directly alongside the intimate residential quarters of the defeated Moorish sultans. Construction began in 1527 following the royal honeymoon of Charles the Fifth and Isabella of Portugal, funded largely by taxes levied upon the newly converted Morisco population of the Kingdom of Granada.
Stand at the exact center of the open circular courtyard and gaze around the two-tiered colonnade: thirty-two rustic Doric columns of sandstone support the lower gallery with triglyphs and metopes adorned with sculpted bull skulls, while thirty-two slender Ionic columns grace the upper promenade. The acoustics within this circular space are so acoustically pristine that a quiet whisper echoes cleanly across the stones, making it the premier outdoor concert venue for Granada's International Festival of Music and Dance every summer.
Directly opposite the palace stands the charming Wine Gate or Puerta del Vino, one of the oldest interior portals of the Alhambra medina, constructed around 1300 and decorated with exquisite polychrome tile panels by Sultan Muhammad the Fifth in 1367. Its name dates from the sixteenth century, when local wine merchants sold tax-exempt wine to palace residents.
French impressionist composer Claude Debussy was inspired to compose his famous 1913 piano piece Evening in Granada purely by studying a picture postcard of this Wine Gate sent to him by Manuel de Falla.
Proceed toward the visitor entrance of the Nasrid Palaces to venture into the historic halls of the Mexuar, the Myrtles, and the Comares Tower.