Madrid is the European capital home to the Prado Museum, opened in 1819 as the Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture.
The museum occupies a neoclassical building designed by architect Juan de Villanueva. King Charles III commissioned the building in the late 18th century, originally for scientific institutions, before its use was changed to display the royal art collection.
The Prado first opened as the Museo Real de Pintura y Escultura in November 1819. Its collection grew from works owned by Spain's monarchs and became especially strong in Spanish, Italian, and Flemish painting.
Artists associated with the museum include Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, and Hieronymus Bosch. A common mix-up is treating the Prado as a palace: it is a national art museum on Madrid's Paseo del Prado, near the Retiro district.