San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of the most impressive constructions of Europe and one of the most visited in Spain. This construction is located towards the northern side of Madrid, at about 45 kilometers from the capital and consists on three main areas, a monastery, a library and a palace, built together in a fortress of more than 30,000 square meters.
As its name shows, this building was built as a tribute to San Lorenzo, who defeated the French after a fight in 1557. This way, the San Lorenzo de El Escorial was built during the last decades in the XVI century by orders of King Felipe II who wanted it to show strength and power without looking too much sumptuous.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial is such a large construction that it has about 1200 windows, 2673 doors, 9 towers, 16 patios, and 86 different sets of stairs. This construction also contains a great amount of different art work pieces and ornaments, such ads, for example, 73 statues, 1600 paintings, and 88 fountains among others.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial has also been the main mausoleum of the Spanish monarchs for centuries, in an area of the construction called Panteón de los Reyes. The Panteón de los Reyes, under the Monastery, is one of the most visited spots in this construction, and would allow tourists to observe marble walls and luxurious caskets of several different Spanish kings and their families.
Without any doubt, San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a spot which tourists should not miss while being in this region of Spain. Those who visit Madrid can easily reach this spot by train or bus at several different times of the day, and it is an ideal stop for those who are going from Madrid towards Segovia or Avila since it would be on their way. San Lorenzo de El Escorial also offers guided tours to those who might wish to learn about each spot they observe as well as about some interesting info on the past of this construction, which is very interesting and attractive as well.