Detail of [Vista de la calle Mayor de Madrid] (DIB/18/1/876/2), A. González Velázquez, ca. 1760-ca. 1770. Biblioteca Nacional de España. In the public domain.
The exhibition «Cinco siglos de Consejo de Estado» aims to show the evolution of the institution over its five hundred years. Throughout this long period, the Consejo has become one of the most important institutions in the political-administrative structure of the Spanish Monarchy and, later, of Spain from the 19th to the 21st centuries, playing a decisive role in the formation of our contemporary State.
The commemoration in 2026 of the V Centenary of the Consejo de Estado is a fitting initiative, and choosing this year for the celebrations is undoubtedly appropriate, since, although the Consejo has its origins in 1521, the events of summer 1526 in Granada fully justify the choice of date.
The exhibition offers a journey through time across the various eras the Consejo has lived through, from the 16th century to the present. To this end, documents have been brought together from some of our main repositories: the General Archive of Simancas, the Historical National Archive, the General Archive of the Royal Palace, the Archive of the Congress of Deputies and the Consejo de Estado's own archive, together with books, paintings, sculptures, coins and other objects. All these pieces, linking centuries together, will serve to illustrate the trajectory of an institution that, with five centuries of history and the changes required by each political era, continues today alive and at the service of Spain.
D. Feliciano Barrios Pintado, secretary of the Real Academia de la Historia
© Ministerio de Cultura - Gobierno de España