The most beautiful capital of the province of Andalusia, Seville is famous for bullfights, flamenco evenings and an abundance of medieval sights. The golden age of Andalusia fell on the 16th-17th centuries, when Seville received the exclusive right to trade with the lands of the West Indies discovered by Columbus. The port of Seville received goods from most of the industrial cities of the Old World, to be transported later to the colonies in the Americas. The flourishing of intercontinental trade contributed to the development of Andalusia and made Seville one of the richest and most influential cities on the map of medieval Europe. Historical twists and turns have left a noticeable mark on the appearance of the city, and tourist guides answer the question of what to see in Seville in detail. Here you will find ancient temples and ancient viaducts, luxurious palaces and impregnable fortresses, sun-drenched squares and shady avenues of parks, huge amphitheaters and observation decks offering magnificent views of the ancient and forever young beauty of Seville.
TOP 10 attractions in Seville
Cathedral
Cathedral Maria de la Sede is not just the largest in Spain. It is the largest of the Gothic temples in Europe and the third largest in the world, after the Vatican Cathedral of St. Peter and London - St. Paul.
The temple was built in the 15th century. on the site of the Moorish mosque after the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by Christians:
- The length of the structure is 116 m, and the width of the temple stretches for 76 m.
- It consists of five side-altars and the main chapel, the height of the vault of which is 56 m.
- The huge room is richly decorated with paintings by the greatest medieval masters of the brush - Velazquez and Goya, Murillo and Zurbaran.
- Tradition says that the cross on the Maria de la Sede was cast from gold brought by Columbus from the first American expeditions.
The discoverer of the New World himself was buried in the cathedral, until in 1544 his ashes were sent to the Dominican Republic, and later to Havana. Then they decided to return everything to its place, but something went wrong, and now there is no certainty that the remains in the Cathedral of Seville really belong to Columbus. It is believed that the son of a navigator is buried there.
Spain square
The most beautiful square appeared in Seville on the eve of the Ibero-American exhibition, which took place in 1929. For the upcoming event, it was decided to rebuild the southern part of the city. As a result of the work of a group of architects under the leadership of the Frenchman Jean-Claude Forestier, the Marie-Louise Park was created, on the edge of which a semicircular square was designed.
The resulting ensemble is surprisingly organically blended into medieval Seville and revived its appearance.
The former exhibition buildings on the sides of the square now house the Seville City Hall and several city museums.
Maria Louise park
The park on the edge of the Plaza de España is decorated in the best traditions of landscape design, the style of which combines Moorish features with pronounced notes of Art Deco, which was so popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the park you will see fountains decorated with tiles, pavilions and verandas built in the Mudejar style, stylized flower beds and benches.
Archive of the Indies
The Archives Building in Seville was designed and built by Juan de Herrera, the eminent Spanish architect who is honored to create the El Escorial in Madrid. The luxurious palace, called a model of Renaissance architecture, contains valuable documents that tell the story of the creation of the Spanish colonial empire in America and the Philippines.
Construction was carried out at the end of the 16th century, and the finishing of the building was completed only in the first third of the 17th century. The shelves with the most interesting and unique documents are 9 km long. Among the 43,000 volumes are Columbus's journal, Cervantes' request for an official post, and the papal seal confirming the legitimacy of the border between Spain and Portugal.
Giralda
The bell tower of the main temple of Seville has long become the hallmark of the Andalusian capital. It rises almost 100 m into the sky, and the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque, located in Marrakech, served as a prototype for its construction. The Giralda was built, naturally, during the Moorish rule. The author of the project was made in 1184 by the architect Ahmed ben-Banu.
After capturing Seville in 1248, the Spaniards rebuilt the minaret into a bell tower, adding a square belfry and three tiers of lanterns. At the top of the tower, a four-meter sculpture of Vera was installed, the banner in whose hands is a weather vane. Of all the Moorish buildings, the former minaret is the only one that survived during the Reconquista. The observation deck on the tower is a great place to get a bird's eye view of Seville.
The height of the modern Giralda is about 100 m together with the statue. The Moorish part of the building rises 70 meters, above is the superstructure made by the architect from Cordoba Erman Ruiz, who in 1568 was commissioned to reconstruct the former minaret.
Alcazar
Ancient fortresses, built during the Moorish rule, are called alcazars in Spain. There is a similar building in Seville, and after the expulsion of the Arabs from the Iberian Peninsula, the Seville Alcazar became the residence of King Pedro I of Castile.
The building is called a typical example of the Mudejar style in architecture, which appeared in Spain in the XI-XVI centuries. It is characterized by a close interweaving of the Moorish style with signs of Gothic and Renaissance art. The Mudejar style reflects the desire of the Spanish nobility for comfort and luxury, which is most clearly reflected in the appearance and interiors of the Seville Alcazar.
As you stroll through the royal residence in Seville, you can admire the grace of Charles V's private quarters and the elegant luxury of the tiles on the Maiden's Patio. You can enjoy the rich stucco molding and skillful bas-reliefs of friezes in the Ambassador Hall, and the scent of flowering orange trees in the gardens surrounding the palace.
The Alcazar served as the home of the Spanish kings for over seven centuries. Today, the upper chambers of the palace are used by the family of the ruling monarch as the official residence in Seville.
Ticket price: 9, 5 euros.
Torre del Oro
King Alphonse the Wise said that the Golden Tower of Seville is not only a fortress, but also an unusually beautiful and graceful work. It served as part of the defensive fortifications, from here the fortress walls went to the Alcazar. The tower appeared in the city in the first third of the 13th century, when the Pyrenees were under the rule of the Moors. Its architecture clearly demonstrates the techniques and styles typical of buildings from the times of the Cordoba Caliphate:
- The height of Torre del Oro is 37 m.
- The shape of the tower consists of two dodecahedrons stacked on top of each other.
- The third tier - a lantern in the form of a cylinder with a dome, was added in the 18th century.
- Serving as a watchtower at the entrance to the city's harbor, Torre del Oro, kept a chain blocking the entrance to the port of unwanted guests.
The name of the tower is associated with the gold brought by the conquistadors from the New World. There is a legend that it was here that the Inca treasures found in America discovered by Columbus were kept.
Royal Tobacco Factory
Spanish navigators at the end of the 15th century. brought tobacco to Europe, and the inhabitants of the Old World became addicted to the new hobby very quickly. The fashion for smoking was gaining momentum, and Seville had a monopoly on the sale and processing of valuable goods from America. This gave rise to the idea of building an enterprise that would meet the needs of the townspeople and the regions surrounding Seville.
In 1728 the factory was built. It functioned until the middle of the twentieth century, when the building was transferred to the University of Seville. You can see one of the oldest industrial buildings in the world during a tour organized by local travel agencies.
The factory building is decorated in the best traditions of the Baroque style. On the façade you will find symbols of the royal family, pilasters, sculptures and bas-reliefs. The complex of factory buildings ranks second in the country in terms of area and is second only to Escorial in the capital in this sense.
Maestranza
Even if you are an ardent opponent of bullfighting, we definitely recommend you to look at the oldest bullring not only in Seville, but also in Spain!
The most beautiful Maestranza appeared in the city at the end of the 19th century, although the first stone in its foundation was laid back in 1761.
The arena has the shape of a polyhedron and its facade overlooks the embankment of the Guadalquivira River. On 30 sides of the building there are stands for 14 thousand spectators, who can attend the bullfight every Sunday from April to October. A chapel was built near Maestranza, where bullfighters ask heaven for good luck in the upcoming battle.
In the Maestranza building you can visit the Bullfighting History Museum, and at the entrance you can see the monuments to the famous bullfighters. By the way, the heroine of Prosper Merimee's short story, the legendary Carmen, died on Maestranza.
Museum of Fine Arts
The art museum in the capital of Andalusia is one of the richest in Spain. It exhibits works by eminent painters who glorified their historical homeland. In the halls you will see paintings by Velazquez and Zurbaran, El Greco and Francisco Herrera the Elder.
The exposition is based on religious painting, because the collection was formed from paintings and sculptures brought from nearby monasteries and temples.
The exhibition was founded in 1835, but the building in which it is located was built in the middle of the 17th century. The architect Juan de Oviedo used the techniques of the Mudejar style. Today's visitors to the museum can appreciate the Sevillian ceramics used in the decoration of the patios and galleries, the tiles from St. Paul's monastery, which adorn the walls of the lobby, murals and stucco, added during the reconstruction of the mansion in the 19th century.
