The Prado Museum was inaugurated on November the 19th, 1819 as Royal Paintings Museum. It was a still a royal collection (therefore, private) until it was nationalized in 1869.

The origins of the Prado Museum as royal collection explains its worldwide importance: from 1516 to 1659, Spain was the world's hegemonic power, while from 1659 to 1808 Spain remained a large and influencial empire. During those two centuries, the powerful Spanish monarchs avidly gathered splendid collections. Many Prado masterpieces that the World envies, signed Goya, Velázquez, Greco, Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Dürer or Bosch  , were collected by the Kings of Spain. Their personal tastes and political influences determined that, beyond those individualities, the Prado Museum is rich in Primitive Flemish Artists and Venetian Renaissance School, while Baroque painting from Spain, Flanders, Italy and France is marvellously represented. The royal collections include fine antique Greek and Roman sculptures and their passion for decorative arts is represented by the splendid Treasure of the Dauphin.

The absolute masterpiece of the museum: Velasquez' "Las Meninas", holding the place of honour in the Basilica Room of the 18th century magnificent Juan de Villanueva's building, is a royal family portrait.

After nationalization, the Prado merged with the "Museo de la Trinidad", that had been created with religious paintings coming from expropiated churches following a process called the "Desamortización". This can be considered the second source for the Prado Museum. Entire sections, such as Spanish Medieval and Renaissance painting or Greco's rooms owe their best masterpieces to the "Desamortización".

The third source of the Prado Museum collection is donations and acquisitions. Among the most famous donators: the Baron d'Erlanger (Goya's Black paintings), Errazu (Baudry's "The pearl and the wave"), Fernández Durán (the Micheangelo drawings) or Cambó (the Botticelli 's "The story of Nastagio degli Onesti").

A treasure such as that deserves a Prado Museum Guided Visit to be understood.

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