Plaza de España, Seville, Spain - SpottingHistory.com

The Plaza de España in the Parque de María Luisa was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is a landmark example of the Regionalism Architecture, mixing elements of the Baroque Revival, Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival (Neo-Mudéjar) styles of Spanish architecture.

The plaza complex is a huge half-circle with buildings continually running around the edge accessible over the moat by numerous bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain. In the centre is the Vicente Traver fountain. By the walls of the Plaza are many tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain. Each alcove is flanked by a pair of covered bookshelves, said to be used by visitors in the manner of 'Little Free Library'. Each bookshelf often contains information about their province, yet you can often find regular books as well for some people have taken to donating their favorite book to these shelves.

The Plaza de España has been used as a filming location, including scenes for the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. The building was used as a location in the Star Wars movie series Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) — in which it featured in exterior shots of the City of Theed on the Planet Naboo. It also featured in the 2012 film The Dictator.

References:

Wikipedia

Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Spain

User Reviews

Felix Gan (2 years ago)
What a lovely view of this city! This has been the most amazing view of this city has to offer. Lots of history, Rich in architecture and whole place filled with music and people cheering the place. Would recommend people to definitely come to this square when they visit this city.

Ray Forgianni (2 years ago)
Huge complex of fine tile work monument representing every corner of Spain. Located in a large heavily landscaped park, beautiful in it's own right. Large central fountain in the middle of a substantial plaza which in turn is surrounded by a moat. Small row boats are available for those who wish to enjoy the ambiance. Quite a walk from the old city. Pride of Sevilla.

Simon Croucher (2 years ago)
Just beautiful. A must see place in Seville. Best time is as the sun goes down for the light to give that warm glow. The gardens attached are a lovely cool walk and cut across the corner of the roads when on foot. There's a boating lake around this building too, which was a surprise.

Elizabeth P (2 years ago)
Impressive and stunning, walking around it was interesting to see the whole of Spain represented by the tiles. Lots of performers about expressing themselves which is nice to see. The horse carriage experience is not necessary and you get a fuller experience walking around (if you're capable of course!). The boats in the man made water way came across as an entire tourist trap and would be best to be avoided. Leave old Seville for an hour, you won't be disappointed.

Ali Smart (2 years ago)
Beautiful spot. We were lucky to catch a flamenco show performing here in the plaza. Nothing like it. Seeing the dancing, taking in the emotional songs in this beautiful setting. It was more impressive than the flamenco show we paid for the night before. If you can highly recommend catching the flamenco performers here.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Historic Site of the week

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.

The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Mérida amphitheatre. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch.

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