Learn Spanish (Latin America): El museo está a la izquierda del parque.

Even though the museum is permanently located there, we always use the verb estar (to be) for physical locations. Ser is used for things like descriptions or time, but never to say where a physical object or building is.

Why is it del parque and not de el parque?

In Spanish, whenever the preposition de (of/from) is followed directly by the masculine article el (the), they must combine into the single word del. So, de el always becomes del.

How does the phrase a la izquierda de work?

A la izquierda de is a fixed phrase that translates to 'to the left of'. You need all these pieces, including the de (of) at the end, to connect it to the park. Its opposite is a la derecha de (to the right of).

Since de and el combine, why do a and la stay separate in a la izquierda?

Spanish only has two mandatory contractions, and they both involve the masculine singular article el: a plus el becomes al, and de plus el becomes del. The feminine article la never contracts, so a la remains two separate words.