Alameda de Hércules

Park in Seville

Alameda De Hercules Sevilla 3
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Gzzz

The Alameda de Hércules, or simply La Alameda, is a garden square in Seville, southern Spain. It was recently restored and transformed to fully integrate it into the city life, making it an unusual and attractive urban area combining leisure, culture and art.

History of the Alameda de Hércules

The history of the Alameda de Hércules, according to legend, began in the year 585 when the son of Leovigild diverted the course of the river Guadalquivir that ran through this spot, in order to cause a drought for the city inhabitants, forming a lake of stagnant water next to the old Roman walls.

Historically, after being dried out by order of the Count of Barajas, four columns were to be placed to mark off a promenade through the trees. The columns were to be taken from the Roman temple of Mármoles street, believed to be dedicated to Hercules.

However, when moving the third column it fell apart, leaving the work temporarily unfinished. Consequently, the two columns at the southern end of the square are from the original Roman temple, whereas the northern columns are modern reproductions.

Two sculptures were placed atop the two southern columns: Hercules who was the mythological founder of Seville and Julius Caesar who was referred to as the restorer of the city during Roman rule.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, two additional statues of lions with shields, representing Seville and Spain, were placed on the northern columns.

The Alameda de Hércules appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Seville!

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Visiting Alameda de Hércules

Hours:

24 Hours


Price:

Free

Address: Alameda de Hercules, Alameda de Hércules, Seville, Spain
Duration: 30 minutes

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