The Prado Museum is Madrid’s top cultural sight and one of the world’s greatest art galleries. Its dazzling display of works by the great European masters — such as Velázquez, Goya, Raphael, Rubens, and Bosch, among other major Italian and Flemish artists — is housed in an 18th-century neoclassical building that opened as a museum in 1819. The Spanish queen at the time had been impressed with the Louvre in Paris and wanted to showcase an enormous collection in her own country. The result is several thousand works from that time, with a recent modern extension allowing even more of them to be displayed. The tour begins with the most famous masterpieces from European artists like El Bosco. Continue delving into the work of Velazquez, followed by artists like El Greco and Goya, among many others. Gain an understanding of all the artists' aims, lives, and circumstances hidden behind the paintings, as well as the historic moment in which they were created. Learn about Spanish history from an art historian and get a closer look at local culture and Madrid's art scene.