El Retiro will never be the same place it has always been. In 2026, the Madrid City Council will empty the emblematic Retiro pond to undertake necessary structural repair work. But what could have been a technical operation without much of a route has turned into one of the most surreal – and ambitious – proposals of recent years. The surprise is not in the emptying of the pond, but in what will come next: it will be filled with salt water and populated by squid.
The consistory intends to completely transform the ecosystem of the Madrid lake, traditionally inhabited by carp and some waterfowl, to adapt it to a new marine species. The objective, as explained by Marcelino Cente, municipal spokesman on innovation and traditions, is to produce native squid in order to promote an unexpected candidacy: that the squid sandwich obtain the Protected Designation of Origin (P.D.O.).
A Retiro with a taste of the sea
The project, baptized as Retiro Marino, also contemplates the installation of gastronomic booths around the pond, where it will be possible to cook a freshly caught squid sandwich on the spot. For this purpose, the classic rental boats will be equipped with rods and bait, allowing visitors to live the complete experience: catching their own squid and eating it on the spot.
This unusual measure is part of a broader plan, still in the study phase, which would include the progressive replacement of green areas of the park with sand, in an attempt to take the first steps towards a goal that some in the City Council describe as historic: to turn Madrid into a city with a beach.
“El Retiro has already been many things throughout its history. Now it’s time for it to be a port,” Cente said, without a trace of irony.
Although the announcement has generated skepticism and more than one raised eyebrow among experts in marine biology and urban planning, the initiative has been greeted with enthusiasm among downtown restaurateurs, who see in this gesture a boost to the most iconic snack of the city.