The 234 hectares of the Real Club Puerta de Hierro, located in the area surrounding Madrid's Pardo Mountain were given donated in 1912 by Alfonso XIII for a 75-year lease to the society that bears the name of the club. The concession was expected to foster the growth of similar organizations in the style of British country clubs and for the benefit of Madrid's elite class. Since then, the country has shifted from a monarchy to a republic, endured a civil war, a dictatorship and ultimately won democracy. These are major historical shifts that did not change the concession that Spain's national heritage board has been trying to update.
This was the last time for the 2011-2040 period, already in the middle of the 21st century, despite the fact that the legal and political scene is very different from when Alfonso XIII decided to grant the right of use to the society. That it has lasted this long is surprising. Especially when funding no longer comes from the Spanish crown and a public body administers the money. In 1982, a national heritage law separated this public body from the Prime Minister's office. It is now named the Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio Nacional and is responsible for administering public money that still has ties to the crown.
The Club Puerta de Hierro has 15,649 members and that number has not changed since 1987, because it has not started to admit new members. It also hasn't gotten a new concession for the lands through the court system. It could renew in the same format, albeit this would make it an unsustainable anachronism that the national heritage board should do away with as soon as it holds a public hearing on the matter.
