Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

Snowfall turns Retiro Park in Spain's capital, Madrid, into a winter postcard, with the Crystal Palace at its centre. Built in 1887 as a glass conservatory for the Philippines Exposition, this elegant iron-and-glass structure was inspired by London's Crystal Palace from the Great Exhibition of 1851. Designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, the pavilion was intended to flood its interior with natural light, a feature that becomes especially striking when winter light filters through snow-dusted panes.

Set beside a small pond, the palace's reflection doubles the spectacle, turning the park into one of Madrid's most photogenic winter scenes. Today, the Crystal Palace serves as an exhibition space for the Museo Reina Sofía, Spain's national museum of modern and contemporary art, blending historic architecture with rotating contemporary installations in one of Madrid's most beloved green spaces.