The half-circle
Two hundred metres of brick and ceramic, two arms, two towers.
Carlos Delgado — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0
Lawrence of Arabia made it Cairo's palace; Star Wars Episode II the city of Theed with its colonnades — walking the upper gallery is literally the Naboo shot. Spanish series scenes are countless: the square is a standing open studio.
Enter María Luisa park by the southern arm for shade, fountains and white doves, Plaza América deep inside with its two museums — then return for sunset. A complete free afternoon, Seville's gentlest gift.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet — be the first.
The Plaza de España is the grandest thing modern Seville ever built: a colossal two-hundred-metre half-circle crowned the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition — a brick-and-ceramic palace embracing its square with two tower-ended arms, a moat curving with it under blue ceramic bridges, and at its base 48 mosaic alcoves for every Spanish province with maps and scenes. It is where the visitor grasps the Sevillian manner all at once: brick, neo-Mudéjar and painted ceramic beyond measure. Boats row the canal, horse carriages circle, flamenco dancers improvise beneath the arcades — a complete city theatre without a ticket. Cinema fell for it (Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia filmed here), and it gates the María Luisa park — the pair making a full Sevillian late afternoon, its sunset gold beyond telling.
Two hundred metres of brick and ceramic, two arms, two towers.
48 mosaics of all Spain — geography taught in ceramic.
Rowing under blue ceramic bridges — Seville's little Venice.
Dancers improvising in the gallery — echo money can't buy.
Avenida de Isabel la Católica, 41004 Seville