El Bonaparte tunnel It is located in the vicinity of Madrid River, Along the King's Bridge. The tunnel was designed and built by the architect Juan de Villanueva between the years 1809 and 1811 to communicate the Casa de Campo, with the Royal Palace at the request of Joseph Bonaparte. Bonaparte decided to reside in the Vargas palace, at the entrance to the Casa de Campo. It seems that he felt safer there, in a city that he did not appreciate and, thus, he stayed close to the Royal Palace. Villanueva's death occurred when he was carrying out the tunnel work.

The communication route between the Royal Palace and the Vargas palace, started from the center of the West façade of the Royal Palace, crossed the Campo del Moro gardens through a tree-lined avenue, passed under the Nuevo de Castilla road, the current Paseo of the Virgen del Puerto and crossed the river on a wooden bridge, until years later, Isidro González, an outstanding student of Villanueva, built the Puente del Rey on behalf of Ferdinand VII.

With the advent of II Republic, the tunnel was opened to the public and later during the Civil War It served to supply ammunition and personnel during the defense of Madrid, especially during the Battle of University City.

The arrival of the M30 meant the abandonment of the tunnel, the subsequent burial and the creation of the Madrid Río, which have not allowed its recovery, although it continues to exist and awaits a new use. Not in vain, Heritage carried out a restoration in which the decoration, added in the XNUMXth century, based on rockery that gave the tunnel the appearance of a grotto, was eliminated. In this work the original exposed brick appeared.

Today a plaque reminds us of its existence, one more tunnel, in a city like Madrid that has its subsoil pierced in all directions.

A abrazo.