# Despacho del Rey

> room in the erstwhile Alcázar of Madrid

**Wikidata**: [Q133311007](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133311007)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/despacho-del-rey

## Summary
The **Despacho del Rey** was a specific room and office located within the **King's apartment** in the **Royal Alcázar of Madrid**. Situated inside the **Torre Dorada** (Golden Tower), this room functioned as a workspace for the monarch within the Crown of Castile. It is historically significant for its location in the now-destroyed Alcázar and is documented in architectural plans such as the *Plano de Gómez de Mora*.

## Key Facts
- **Classification:** The room is classified as both a **room** and an **office** (a room where people perform office work).
- **Location:** It was located in the city of **Madrid**, specifically within the **Royal Alcázar of Madrid**.
- **Specific Placement:** The room was part of the **King's apartment** and was situated in the **Torre Dorada**.
- **Historical Context:** The room is associated with the **Crown of Castile**.
- **Spatial Relations:** In the sequence of rooms, the Despacho del Rey **follows** the **Oratorio del Rey** (King's Oratory).
- **Documentation:** The room is depicted in the **Plano de Gómez de Mora**.
- **Media:** There is a specific floor plan image available: `Despacho_del_Rey_from_Alcázar_of_Madrid._Main_floor_plan_LCCN2015647607_(cropped).jpg`.
- **Wikidata ID:** The entity has a sitelink count of **2**.
- **Languages:** Available Wikipedia sitelinks include **Commons** and **Spanish (es)**.

## FAQs
### Q: What was the Despacho del Rey?
A: The Despacho del Rey was an office and room located in the King's apartment within the Royal Alcázar of Madrid. It served as a working space for the monarch.

### Q: Where exactly was the Despacho del Rey located?
A: The room was situated in **Madrid** inside the **Royal Alcázar**, specifically within the **Torre Dorada**. It was part of the King's apartment suite.

### Q: How is the room documented historically?
A: The room is recorded in the *Plano de Gómez de Mora*, which provides a visual layout including the specific location labeled as item '15' in the plan's qualifiers.

### Q: What is the spatial relationship of the Despacho del Rey to other rooms?
A: The Despacho del Rey follows the **Oratorio del Rey** (Oratory of the King) in the spatial layout of the palace.

## Why It Matters
The Despacho del Rey matters as a specific historical example of a royal workspace within the **Royal Alcázar of Madrid**, a building that no longer exists (having been destroyed by fire in 1734). As an instance of the class "office," it illustrates the architectural separation of private working quarters (the office) from religious spaces (the adjacent Oratorio del Rey) and residential areas within the Spanish royal court.

Its documentation in the *Plano de Gómez de Mora* provides crucial architectural evidence for historians studying the layout of the Habsburg era Alcázar. The association with the **Torre Dorada** and the **Crown of Castile** anchors the room in a specific political and architectural timeframe, offering insight into the daily administrative life of the Spanish monarchy.

## Notable For
- Being a documented room within the **Torre Dorada** of the Royal Alcázar.
- Its specific classification as an **office** within the **King's apartment**.
- Its spatial sequence, directly following the **Oratorio del Rey**.
- Its inclusion in the **Plano de Gómez de Mora**, preserving its layout for posterity despite the destruction of the building.
- Having a dedicated **Commons category** and Spanish language Wikipedia entry.

## Body
### Definition and Classification
The **Despacho del Rey** is defined as a **room** and an **office** within the **Royal Alcázar of Madrid**. In the context of knowledge organization, it is an instance of a facility designed for office work, specifically used by the King. The general concept of an "office" is a room where people perform office work, subclassified as a workplace (associated with white-collar work) and a facility. The Despacho del Rey is a specific historical realization of this concept.

### Location and Architecture
The room was geographically located in **Madrid**. Structurally, it was a component of the **King's apartment** within the broader complex of the **Royal Alcázar of Madrid**. A distinguishing architectural feature of its location was its placement within the **Torre Dorada** (Golden Tower).

### Spatial Layout and Relations
The room's layout was highly specific. It is recorded that the Despacho del Rey **follows** the **Oratorio del Rey** (King's Oratory). This suggests a sequential flow from the oratory into the office space within the private apartments.

### Visual Documentation
The primary visual record of the room's location and dimensions is found in the **Plano de Gómez de Mora**. In this plan, the room is identified with specific qualifiers (P7380: '15'). A cropped image of the main floor plan, archived under the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) 2015647607, explicitly highlights the Despacho del Rey.

### Administrative and Historical Context
The room is historically linked to the **Crown of Castile**, indicating its use during the period when the Spanish monarchy was administratively centered in Madrid under that crown's structure.

### Knowledge Base Data
- **Wikidata Description:** "room in the erstwhile Alcázar of Madrid"
- **Sitelink Count:** 2
- **Wikipedia Languages:** Commons, Spanish (es)
- **Commons Category:** Despacho del Rey (Royal Alcázar of Madrid)
- **Image of Design Plans:** `https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Despacho_del_Rey_from_Alcázar_of_Madrid._Main_floor_plan_LCCN2015647607_(cropped).jpg`