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 (8 months 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 (8 months 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 (8 months 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 (8 months 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 (8 months 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.

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From its origin as a small stronghold built by the ancient Illyrian tribe Dalmatae, becoming a royal castle that was the seat of many Croatian kings, to its final development as a large fortress during the Ottoman wars in Europe, Klis Fortress has guarded the frontier, being lost and re-conquered several times. Due to its location on a pass that separates the mountains Mosor and Kozjak, the fortress served as a major source of defense in Dalmatia, especially against the Ottoman advance, and has been a key crossroad between the Mediterranean belt and the Balkan rear.

Since Duke Mislav of the Duchy of Croatia made Klis Fortress the seat of his throne in the middle of the 9th century, the fortress served as the seat of many Croatia"s rulers. The reign of his successor, Duke Trpimir I, the founder of the Croatian royal House of Trpimirović, is significant for spreading Christianity in the Duchy of Croatia. He largely expanded the Klis Fortress, and in Rižinice, in the valley under the fortress, he built a church and the first Benedictine monastery in Croatia. During the reign of the first Croatian king, Tomislav, Klis and Biograd na Moru were his chief residences.

In March 1242 at Klis Fortress, Tatars who were a constituent segment of the Mongol army under the leadership of Kadan suffered a major defeat while in pursuit of the Hungarian army led by King Béla IV. After their defeat by Croatian forces, the Mongols retreated, and Béla IV rewarded many Croatian towns and nobles with 'substantial riches'. During the Late Middle Ages, the fortress was governed by Croatian nobility, amongst whom Paul I Šubić of Bribir was the most significant. During his reign, the House of Šubić controlled most of modern-day Croatia and Bosnia. Excluding the brief possession by the forces of Bosnian King, Tvrtko I, the fortress remained in Hungaro-Croatian hands for the next several hundred years, until the 16th century.

Klis Fortress is probably best known for its defense against the Ottoman invasion of Europe in the early 16th century. Croatian captain Petar Kružić led the defense of the fortress against a Turkish invasion and siege that lasted for more than two and a half decades. During this defense, as Kružić and his soldiers fought without allies against the Turks, the military faction of Uskoks was formed, which later became famous as an elite Croatian militant sect. Ultimately, the defenders were defeated and the fortress was occupied by the Ottomans in 1537. After more than a century under Ottoman rule, in 1669, Klis Fortress was besieged and seized by the Republic of Venice, thus moving the border between Christian and Muslim Europe further east and helping to contribute to the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The Venetians restored and enlarged the fortress, but it was taken by the Austrians after Napoleon extinguished the republic itself in 1797. Today, Klis Fortress contains a museum where visitors to this historic military structure can see an array of arms, armor, and traditional uniforms.

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