Royal Tobacco Factory, Seville, Spain

The Royal Tobacco Factory, an 18th-century industrial building was, at the time it was built the second largest building in Spain, second only to the royal residence El Escorial. It remains one of the largest and most architecturally distinguished industrial buildings ever built in that country, and one of the oldest such buildings to survive.

Since the 1950s it has been the seat of the rectorate of the University of Seville. Prior to that, it was, as its name indicates, a tobacco factory: the most prominent such institution in Europe, and a lineal descendant of Europe's first tobacco factory, which was located nearby. It is one of the most notable and splendid examples of industrial architecture from the era of Spain's Antiguo Régimen.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

David Smith (8 months ago)
Lovely 18th-century building which, as the name suggests, used to be a tobacco factory, but which is the now the main University building. Free to wander around in. I saw a "no entry" sign in Spanish but worked out that was for mopeds or bikes!

Maíra Cristo Daitx (9 months ago)
Amazing to see this reconverted space. Full of life during the class period. Now, its access is limited by COVID security measures, but you can still appreciate it from the outside

Koen (13 months ago)
The Calle San Fernando is home to one of the city's most famous buildings: the Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla. This enormous neoclassical building was commissioned by the royal family, built between 1728 and 1771 and could accommodate more than 10,000 (mainly female) employees. Most famous employee was Carmen, known from the opera of the same name by the French composer Georges Bizet. She was known for rolling cigars between her thighs. The factory halls of the old tobacco factory have been part of the University of Seville since 1949. Parts of the building are publicly accessible. Even interesting for people who don't like opera.

Leandi Jane Van Staden (14 months ago)
Very nice place, if you like histrory get yourself a tour guide that can tell you more about the history of this factory. Other wise you can walk through the buildings and read more about it on Google.

Claude Waddington (2 years ago)
Not worth visiting, there's nothing special about it to see or learn. The architecture is nice.

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Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon"s border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built a theatre in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the Roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Inside the theatre there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theatre went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

Late Antiquity and Byzantine periods

In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. A small and a great basilica, the bishop"s residence, and a funerary basilica and the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography; these well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period.

The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city. Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

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