The Palace of Fernán Núñez in the 20th Century

The Palace of Fernán Núñez is one of the most significant and best preserved buildings of romantic, Isabelline Madrid. During the 20th century, it underwent numerous refurbishments, as well as repurposing, following its confiscation during the Civil War. It was sold in 1941, transitioning from Palace-Residence to Railway Headquarters.

The family of Fernán Núñez in 1920: The 4th Dukes of Fernán Núñez with their children. The eldest, Manuel Falcó y Álvarez de Toledo, inherited the, becoming the 5th Duke of Fernán Núñez in 1927.

In 1923, Silvia Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duchess Consort, moved the Tapestry Room to the second floor and transformed the duchess' office into the Charles IV Room. In 1920, the journal La Voluntad published an article with period images of the palace.

The main focus of the dukes' bedroom, a private space, was the sumptuous, canopied bed.

The palace was left unoccupied, and in July 1936 it was seized by the Unified Socialist Youth (Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas), who converted it into a base for their Youth Home Andrés Martín, and for Radio 4, a territorial organization corresponding to the central region. The palace was also used as a site of repression, housing a detention center known as checa no. 183.

In February 1937, faced with regular bombing in the region, the Deputy Commission for the Expropriation, Safeguarding, and Rescue of Artistic Treasures (Junta Delegada de Incautación, Protección y Salvamento del Tesoro Artístico) began gathering artworks to be moved to the Commission's storage facility in the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande. Other storage facilities were also used from September that year.

The Dance Hall was the main reception room, where the most important events were held. Its decoration excelled in its luxury and theatricality.

The Portrait Room, previously the Tapestry Room, in an image from 1923. The portraits, and indeed most of the furnishings, have been removed.

The Charles IV Room, now the Formal Office of the president of Renfe. The portraits of the 1st Dukes of Fernán Núñez, painted by Goya in 1803, have been removed.

Later that year, Renfe was established following the reunification of all the rail companies. The palace became the property of this new company, and was converted into the headquarters of its Board of Directors. This event proved to be of vital significance for the building's survival, and the reason that it is still standing today.

Renfe commissioned the architect Manuel Cabanyes Mata to remodel the palace for its new purpose. The refurbishments were mainly focused on the first floor of the palace, and the bedroom and service areas.

An elevator was installed in the San Cosme y San Damián area, and the roof of the Othello Gallery was modified, replacing the iron and glass structure.

The resulting space preserved the arbor, an area with typical Roman mosaics which covered the room, and the iron grate for the stove. This image shows detail from the Roman-style mosaic in the palace's arbor, now the Event Hall.

The garden underwent very minimal modifications. The stables were converted into garages, and new rooms were added around the fifth courtyard on the site of the old garden, acquired in 1849.

During the remodeling, some rooms on the first floor and the service floor were converted into offices and storage areas for the rail company. The rooms on the main floor, and others on lower floors, underwent very minimal modifications.

The main staircase in the palace, spanned by a basket arch, topped with a Medusa head flanked by laurel branches. Its modernist, iron and bronze handrail was made by Valentín Roca Carbonell. Its main decorative feature is a lyre.

The palace's Column Room is a classical space focused around its four columns.

In 1967, the first Railway Museum of Spain was inaugurated on the first floor of the palace. It remained there until 1980, at which point it was moved to the historical station at Delicias.

A group of schoolchildren looking at the Andaluces 01 steam locomotive, which ran on the urban railway in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), journeying past the famous wineries of the area, and transporting wine to El Puerto de Santa María.

The sumptuous beauty of the palace's decoration have made it a prime location for many movies and television shows, transporting viewers to historical periods, to relive the experiences of other lives and other dreams.

Want to know more?

Continue reading about the history of this building in the following exhibitions:

- The Palace of Fernán Núñez: Origin and Splendor