Plaza de España, Seville
Historic Site and Square in Seville
The Plaza de España is a square in the Parque de María Luisa, in Seville, Spain. It is has a huge semi-circular brick building running around the edge of the square. There is a tower at either end which are tall enough to be visible around the city, these towers. In front of the building, following the curve of its façade, is a 500-meter canal crossed by four bridges, and in the center of it all is the Plaza itself. The four bridges represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain: Castille, Aragon, Navarre and Leon.
The square is the finishing point of horse-and-carriage rides.
What to see in the Plaza de España, Seville
The balconies are a prime spot to visit, reached by staircases, as you can get the whole sweep of the building. The magnificent central balcony is especially impressive.
All along the wall by the canal are 48 alcoves with painted ceramic benches or colorful azulejos, one for each province of Spain, each with a relevant tableau and map. 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. They are popular with Spanish tourists who have their photographs taken of themselves with family and friends on their home province’s bench.
Measuring 50,000 square meters, the Plaza is the size of five football pitches. The building has a ground level portico and first-floor balustrade with balconies stretching along its length.
You can rent small boats to row in the canal – the Plaza is known as “the Venice of Seville”.
In the center is the Vicente Traver fountain.
History of the Plaza de España, Seville
Its creator was Aníbal González, who built it in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, which was held in Seville. It was designed to showcase Spain’s industry and technology exhibits. The design was inspired by typical elements from the city such as exposed brick, ceramics and wrought ironwork. It mixes elements of the Baroque Revival, Renaissance Revival and Neo-Mudéjar styles of Spanish architecture.
The Plaza de España, Seville appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Seville!
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Visiting Plaza de España, Seville
24 Hour
Free
Nearby Attractions
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Area in Seville