The Pond, which serves as a visual platform for the monument of King Alfonso XII, is the successor to the Big Pond, designed in the time of Felipe IV, a privileged place of recreation and cultural performances of the Golden Age and continued at the beginning of the 18th century during the Bourbon dynasty. Originally it had six waterwheels on its sides, two in each of the largest and one in the smallest, as well as an oval central island that was used for theatrical performances, naumachias and fishing.

Today it is the largest sheet of water in the park, with an area of four hectares and a depth of one metre and thirty centimetres. Its bed was recently restored to prevent leaks, as was its entire perimeter wall, on which continuous granite stone benches sit between limestone pilasters with a cast iron gate. The jetty building, located on the north side of the Paseo de Colombia, was also restored.

© Antonello Dellanotte