8 Curiosities Of The Plaza De España In Seville
The Plaza de España in Seville is the greatest pride of the Sevillians. Admiring it is a pleasure for the senses and walking through it creates unique sensations within us.
On the other hand, it has been the scene of such famous films as Star Wars . However, like any famous monument, it hides unique aspects that not everyone knows. Do you want to discover some curiosities of this beautiful place? So let’s go!
1. The shape of the Plaza de España in Seville has a reason
Some are surprised to see its semi-elliptical shape. In fact, in the movie Star Wars they made it completely round. However, it does not give the feeling that it is half finished, far from it. On the contrary, that is its form for a very specific reason.
Its architect, Aníbal González, designed it this way because he wanted to symbolize the embrace between the city and those that were Spanish colonies. It should not be forgotten that the square was built on the occasion of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. And so that, in addition to being symbolic, everything is even more romantic, the building faces the Guadalquivir.
2. There should be 50 banks
Banks named after the provinces are one of its greatest attractions. There are 48 in total, although in reality there should be 50. This happens because, when the square was built, the Canary Islands only had one province. It was not until somewhat later that the archipelago was divided into two provinces.
On the other hand, Seville itself is not represented along with the other provinces. The reason is that it already is in the other four murals of the monument.
3. Movie set
As we said before, it has been the scene of very famous movies. In addition to the aforementioned Star Wars, it has also been from Lawrence of Arabia , The Wind and the Lion , The Dictator; or Spanish series like There down .
4. It should be a university
This building was built for the Ibero-American Exhibition, but it was invested in it so that, after the event, it would be used to house the Labor University of Seville. However, in the end it was distributed among various local bodies with the Government Delegation.
5. There is no ‘exactly’ order
The smartest, or those who have visited the square many times, will have noticed that the provinces are in alphabetical order; all but one, Navarra.
This has a reason, and that is that when the exhibition ended, one of the tiles was removed, that of La muerte de García IV, as it was considered very violent. The potters changed it to Cast of the Kingdom of Navarra and changed the heading to Pamplona. Goodbye to alphabetical order.
6. He dazzled Alfonso XII
When the king visited the Plaza de España in Seville, at the end of the walk he was perplexed by its beauty and the complexity of its architecture. The phrase with which he expressed his feelings was: “Gentlemen, I knew this was nice … but not so much.” And it is surely the thought of all those who visit it for the first time.
7. The columns of the bridge are made by hand
In the area of the bridge that crosses the water, there are some beautiful ceramic bars that embellish the surroundings. These have Arabic influence in the design and each one of them was made and painted by hand. If you get closer or if you take a close-up photo taking the maximum number of them, you can clearly see that none is the same as another.
8. The fountain was not planned
A large, round fountain with colored lights stands in the middle of the square. This was created by Vicente Traver, to whom Aníbal González passed the project on three years before the exhibition after his resignation. This fountain was not to everyone’s liking, but today, almost a century later, it is still there.
These are some of the curiosities of one of the most beautiful monuments in Spain. Still do not know the Plaza de España in Seville? Well, write it down on your list of next destinations; You can be sure that you will not regret it.
