Madrid opens 7.3 million euro Benedicto XVI Park with pump track and butterfly oasis in San Blas
The Madrid City Council invested 7.3 million euros to transform a five-hectare former wasteland beside the Metropolitano Stadium into a green space featuring sports facilities, children's play areas, and a biodiversity refuge.
Urban transformation in San Blas
The Madrid City Council opened the new Benedicto XVI Park on Monday, converting a five-hectare plot of disused land into a public green space in the San Blas-Canillejas district. Located between Avenida de Luis Aragonés and Glorieta de Carlos Llamas, the site previously held sand and rubble left over from construction around the neighbouring Metropolitano Stadium. The project required a municipal investment of 7.3 million euros to create walking routes, play zones, sports areas, and environmental reserves. Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida inaugurated the site alongside Paloma García Romero, delegate for Works and Equipment, and district councillor Almudena Maíllo. The park carries the name of Pope Benedict XVI in commemoration of the 265th pontiff, who visited Madrid for World Youth Day in 2011.
This is useful politics, this is what truly improves the lives of citizens. This is what truly improves the lives of the neighbourhoods.
Recreational and sports zones
At the core of the development lies a children's playground spanning more than 2,000 square metres, designed for multiple age brackets. The playground includes a zip line, hillside slides, climbing nets, trampolines, seesaws, and speaking tubes, all constructed with durable robinia wood. Two dedicated sections of the play area feature cork paving, a natural and recyclable material that cushions falls and provides thermal insulation against intense summer heat. Adjacent to the central plaza, sports enthusiasts have access to a calisthenics workout space measuring over 500 square metres. Next to Avenida de Luis Aragonés, the council built a specialized 1,200-metre pump track featuring banked curves and rollers for bicycles, scooters, skateboards, and inline skates.
- Children's playground
- 2000 m²
- Pump track circuit
- 1200 m²
- Calisthenics area
- 500 m²
Biodiversity and environmental features
Environmental preservation forms a central pillar of the park's design, anchored by a biodiversity refuge conceived as a butterfly oasis. Municipal workers planted aromatic and pollinator-friendly flora, including sage, Spanish lavender, thyme, rockrose, and mint, to feed bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. The habitat also incorporates two dedicated insect hotels to offer shelter and promote pollination across the district. Across the 50,000-square-metre grounds, crews planted 1,430 trees representing 24 distinct species. Additional amenities include two canine exercise areas equipped with agility circuits on the far side of the Avenida de Luis Aragonés bridge, alongside an elevated viewpoint offering views across Madrid.
- Benedicto XVI Park
- 1430 trees
- Surrounding green areas
- 509 trees
Integration with Ciudad del Deporte
The opening of Benedicto XVI Park completes the northeastern section of a wider green corridor planned for the district. The park integrates directly into more than 35 hectares of continuous green space surrounding the perimeter of the future Ciudad del Deporte athletic complex. Together with 509 additional trees planted across adjacent plots in the surrounding area, the total arboreal count for the wider project surpasses 1,900 specimens. The park will serve local residents from San Blas-Canillejas, visitors to the adjacent Metropolitano Stadium, and users of forthcoming municipal sports facilities. Early visitors entered the grounds on Monday morning, utilizing the newly installed public benches, walking tracks, and ping-pong tables.
