What do the depths of the large pond of El Retiro hide? The last time it was possible to answer that question was back in 2001, when the last emptying of this body of water took place. Now, almost 25 years later, the scene of the emptying of the Retiro pond is about to be repeated.
The Madrid City Council has put out to tender a contract for the comprehensive rehabilitation of the pond, in which it will invest 122,677 euros through the Area of Urbanism, Environment and Mobility. Thus, once the drafting deadline has passed – seven months from October 1 – and the work gets underway, we will be able to see what has been lost in the water over the years.
From the emptying of 2001 came out, as they say, “toads and snakes”. That surface, which we are used to seeing splashed by its famous blue boats, does not give us a chance to imagine what it can hide -and what was found back then-: there were umbrellas, shopping carts, cell phones, litter garbage cans, tables, containers and even a vending machine, to name just a few examples.
An exhibition for its 90 years as an Artistic Garden
The launch of this project coincides with the 90th anniversary of the declaration of El Retiro as an Artistic Garden, which is why the Montaña de los Gatos is hosting until July 9, 2025 and as a tribute the exhibition From Garden to Landscape.
It can be visited free of charge from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, except on Mondays when it is closed.
The Municipal Office of Lost and Found
The bottom of the Retiro pond is not the only place where objects of all kinds are rescued: the Municipal Office of Lost Objects ( Paseo del Molino 7-9) knows a lot about that, where they have even stored wedding dresses, bullfighters’ dresses, winning lottery tickets or a wheelchair.