On Sunday 25 July, the "Paseo del Prado and the Buen Retiro, a Landscape of Arts and Sciences" was officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The designation was first created in 1972 to protect places that have an "exceptional universal value" and should therefore "be preserved for present and future generations".

The Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Landscape of Light has been added to the list of cultural landscapes, the first site in Madrid to hold this distinction. Culture, science and nature have lived harmoniously alongside one another in this urban environment since the mid-sixteenth century and it hosts several of the city's great art institutions, including the Museo del Prado (Prado Museum), the Museo Reina Sofía (Reina Sofía National Art Museum), CaixaForum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. This vitally important area in Madrid's urban fabric contains no fewer than twenty sites of cultural interest.

One of the great architectural features of the Paseo is the Banco de España's (Cibeles headquarters), a jewel of Spanish nineteenth-century architecture, with its valuable historical and artistic heritage. The bank has taken an active part in the nomination initiative, which was promoted by Madrid City Council in collaboration with the Community of Madrid and with support from the Spanish Ministry of Culture. 

The institution was involved in the candidacy from an early stage, joining the Civic and Social Council in October 2018. The Banco de España's Conservatorship Division sat on two of the candidature's theme-based working groups: WG3 - Collections and Cultural Activities and WG5 - Conservation of Tangible and Intangible Heritage. In February 2020, our building on Plaza de Cibeles hosted a joint sitting of the two groups.

_{Edificio Banco de España series (2000-2001). Photographs by Javier Campano}

With the designation of the Landscape of Light —which includes the Paseo del Prado between Plaza de Cibeles and the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V in Atocha, the Retiro Park and the Jerónimos district— as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Spain is now one of the countries with most entries on the prestigious list, coming third only to Italy and China. If you would like to learn more about the rich cultural, artistic, scientific and natural heritage of this site, please see the candidacy's official website: https://paisajedelaluz.es.