Part time Residence of the Royal Family, is the oldest Royal Palace used in Europe. Noteworthy as it is it not mererly a singular palace but a series of palaces, the product of successive reforms that took place since the Arab occupation. Since then various Monarchs have made additions of a wide array of styles, materials used and influences that are commonly found in Seville.

Thus these grounds bring together a perfect symbiosis, a succession of architectural styles, from Islamic to neoclassical, incorporating mudéjar elements, gothic, renaissance, plateresque, purist, baroque and rococo; all contributing to the magnificence of this landmark.

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Golden tower.

Adress: Paseo de Cristóbal Colón s/n
Tel: 954222419
Price: 1€

This tower was constructed in the 13th century by the Almohads and formed part of the Almohad defence system. It was a flanking tower (defensive tower) and was united to the Royal Alcazar Palace by a wall piece. Its name is due to the fact that it was formally covered with golden tiles. There is another version that claims that the name stems from the boats returning from America loaded with gold and much wealth. This tower has had different uses: wharf, lighthouse, prison, house, chapel, etc.

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Plaza de España (Spain Square)

Address: Parque de Maria Luisa

Built by Anibal Gonzal as part of an ample construction programme carried out to commemorate of the Hispano-American Exposition of 1929. It measures 200m in diameter and has an are of 14,000m2. Made in regional style (a mixture of mudejar, gothic and renaissance styles). The materials used were brick and ceramics.

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Archive Of The Indies

Address: Avda. de la Constitución s/n
Tel: 954 211 234
Price: free

The archives are among the most important in the world in terms of the volume of documents and information they contain. Special reference must be made to Columbus’ journal, which can also be found here. The Archivo de Indias is outstanding not only for the purpose it serves, but also for the magnificent furniture conserved there. Due to its importance as a source of information, the Archives are constantly visited by scholars from all over the world for a plethora of various purposes and tasks.

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City Hall

Address: Plaza Nueva, 1
Tel: 954 590 101
Price: free

This is one of the most remarkable examples or plateresque architecture. Building began in the 15th Century by Diego de Riaño who was charged with the task of a long lasting, stone construction overlooking the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), formerly el Convento de San Francisco (San Francisco’s Monastery). In this way the architect built the southern section of the City Hall, the communication arch of the Franciscan monastery and two floors covered with plateresque embossing representing historic, mythic and heraldic characters and depicting emblems to the founders of the city: Hercules and Caesar.

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Plaza De América (American Square)

Address: Parque de Maria Luisa

This square and the 3 buildings it contains were built by Anabel González (between 1913 and 1916) for the Exposition in 1929. Each building encompasses a different architectural style:

Renaissance Pavilion: currently the Museum of Archaeology.

Gothic Pavilion: currently belongs to the City Hall and is the seat of one of its delegations.

Mudejar Pavilion: currently the seat of the Museum of Popular Arts and Customs.

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University (Tobacco Factory)

Address: Calle San Fernando s/n

Of all the booming industries of 18th Century Spain none can be compared to that of tobacco. Chewing, inhaling and smoking tobacco had all become fashionable. In order to meet such a demand for these various products, the existing tobacco factory since 1610 in Plaza del Cristo de Burgos was replaced by one which nobody, at its time, could ever have imagined. The monumental factory was completely finished in 1771 (sic), including the Courthouse, jail and administration buildings. Its capacity was somewhat astounding: a human contingent of thousands of workers, he majority of whom from the 19th century onwards were women, immense workshops and warehouses, aired by 24 courtyards, 21 fountains; 10 wells for cleaning the factory; 116 grinding mills, 40 reviewing mills and 87 pens and stables to keep the nearly 400 animals used for the milling.

In 1949 the installation of the various faculties of the University of Seville in this building was finally approved.

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Website: http://www.focus-abengoa.es/
Address: Plaza de los Venerables, 8
Tel: 954562696
Price: 4.75 €

The hospital of the Venerable Priests was founded by the canon Justino de Neve on 1675 for residence of venerable old, ill priests or passers-by.

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Hospital Of Santa Caridad

Website: http://www.santa-caridad.org/
Address: C/Temprado 3.
Price: 4 €

The Brotherhood of the Charity has its origins in the middle Ages, and was founded with humanitarian aims. It was dedicated to burying those who drowned ion the river and those who were condemned to death. Its church, of baroque style, is the work of Pedro Sanchez Falconete, who began the construction, and was completed years later by Leonardo de Figueroa. The best periods of the time worked on the decoration of this church: Bernardo Simón de Pineda, who made the altarpieces; Pedro Roldán the sculptures; and also we can see paintings of Murillo and Valdés Leal.

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Hospital Of The Five Wounds (Andalusia Parliament)

Website: http://www.parlamento-and.es/
Address: C/ Parlamento de Andalucía s/n
Price: free

In order to comprehend the importance, we must go back to 1500, the year in which Catalina de Ribera obtained the papal bull which allowed one of the best known and popular works of charity in 16th century Seville. This work was continued and extended by her son, Don Fadrique Enriquez de Ribera, Marquis of Tarifa, until his death in 1539. A year later, by means of last will/testament, the foundation passed into the hands of the priories of Santa Maria de las Cuevas and the monasteries of San Jerónimo de Buenavista and San Isidoro del Campo; and as such became open to public competition for the construction of a majestic building in the proximity of the Macarena gateway. Tenders were received from prestigious architects of the time and finally granted to Martin Gainza. The hospital was functional until it was forced to close due to its deteriorating state. The building was restored and is currently used as the seat of the Andalusian Parliament.

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Maria Luisa Park

Infanta (Princess) Maria Luisa who always professed a great love for Seville, donated to the city in 1893 a great extension of the gardens of her palace, that extended from the University to the Plaza de America. This treed and landscaped area of more than 400,000 square meters was left untouched until the City council decided to house there important constructions of the Latin American Exhibition of 1929. This park may be considered as one of most beautiful in Spain, as much for the variety of its vegetation like by the beauty of its walks, avenues, ponds and squares.

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Catalina De Rivera Gardens

Address:Avda. Menéndez y Pelayo

Created in 1898 from the donation of a wide strip of the Huerto del Retiro. In these gardens is the monument to Caterina de Ribera, work of Juan Talavera and Heredia (1921), dedicated to Cristopher Columbus funded by public subscription on the initiative of Jose Laguillo, director of the newspaper El Liberal. It is work also of Juan Talavera, except for the lion that unites to the two columns in its superior part, works by the sculpture Coullaut Valera.

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Delicias Gardens.

Address: Paseo de la Delicias

Created during the mandate of the Assistant of Seville, D. Jose' Manuel de Arjona (1825-1835). In 1864 marble pedestals and busts were brought to this garden from the Gardens of the Archiepiscopal Palace of Umbrete and formally located in the Plaza del Museo. At the time of the Latin American Exhibition of 1929, the Pavilion of Guinea (no longer existent) and the Pavilion of Morocco were constructed within extension of these gardens.

Murillo Gardens.

Address: Avda. Menéndez y Pelayo.

Created by the cession made in 1911 by King Alfonso XIII from the Huerto del Retiro. Dedicated to the Sevillian painter for the proximity in which he lived and is now buried. In these gardens is the square dedicated to the painter García Ramos, work of Talavera and Heredia 1923, and erected on initiative of

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Maestranza Bullring.

Website: www.realmaestranza.com
Address: Paseo de Cristóbal Colón, 12
Price: 4 €

Built by Vincent San Martín in 1761. It is one of the oldest bullrings in Spain. The bullring and the adjacent buildings form an almost triangular block. The construct of the ring forms an irregular polygon arch, both in the exterior as well as the exterior - a consequence of work carried out throughout 120 years.

A typical characteristic of the Seville bullring is that is not totally circular, but slightly ovoid. It contains a bullfighting museum with collection of suits, photographs, pictures, etc., related to the world of the bull. The bullfighting season of begins on Easter Sunday and finishes in September.

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Pilatos House.

Address: Plaza de Pilatos 1
Price: 5-8 €

Dates from the end of the 15th Century to the beginning of the 16th. The most lavish palace that can be visited in Seville, after the Royal Palace Alcazares. It is of interest not only for its architecture – an admirable joining of Mudejar, gothic and renaissance styles, but also for the roman objects and paintings/furniture from a variety of periods which render it a first class museum.

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St. Thelmo Gardens

This is the gardened area between the Avenue of Mª Luisa and the Avenue of the Rábida. They originally belonged to the Palace of San Telmo and were granted to the City by the Church, the then owner then of the area, to enable the construction of the Pavilions of the following participant countries in the Latin American Exhibition of 1929: The United States, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. They were used from 1958 to 1980 to host the Latin American Fair of Samples.

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St. Thelmo´s Palace.

Website: www.juntadeandalucia.es/cpre
Address: Avda. de Roma, s/n
Price: free

The present seat of the Presidency of the Andalusian Regional Parliament, constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries in baroque style, as a naval training academy. The façade is one of the most beautiful examples of churrigueresco art. Executed in limestone stone of white colour it is formed by three parts. The inferior is of toscan columns, with exquisitely ornamented wood from which balcony is sustained by the applied balustrades thus constituting the second body, characterised by the sculptural representations related to nautical subjects. Finally, the figure of San Telmo, the patron saint of sailors, can be found in the attic, flanked by representations of San Fernando and San Hermenegildo.

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Walls And Gates Of Seville.

Seville was in past times a closed city, perhaps the best walled city in Europe. These walls were constructed, along with their towers, under the empire of Julio Caesar, replacing by the old fence made from trunks and mud that had existed at Carthaginian time. The walls were extended and perfected in the Augusto period due to the growth of the city. But without a doubt, the Moors were those who most contributed to the defence of the city - widening the city and walling the extension.

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