Plaza de Espana in Seville, modern architecture taking a bow to Moorish heritage

by Victor Grigore, Webphoto.ro

Though it looks like a historic building from distant times, the complex in Plaza de Espana, Sevilla is actually less than a century old, being built for the World Exhibition of 1929. The building is situated in a very peaceful park, Maria Luisa and is the high point of an entire area of Seville, built to evoke Renaissance and Moorish influence over Spain. The building complex inside the Maria Luisa Park manages to harmonize a variety of style and epochs in a way that looks natural and genuine.

The building that has a semicircle shape, with a moat of the same shape in front and very high side-towers, visually carries us through Renaissance, with its balanced proportions and sense of human greatness, to the times when the Iberic Peninsula was under Muslim rule, or to the times of colonial Spain, when the kingdom was in its turn influenced not only by the richness of the New World, but also by its colorful taste for Baroque. The architect of this Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Modojar building is Anibal Gonzales.

The passion for decorations that the Muslims developed is present everywhere, like in all Andalusia. Several bridges cross over the moat that looks like a Venetian canal, and are all decorated with painted tiles. The same ceramic decoration creates a colorful belt at the bottom of the facade, where all regions of Spain are depicted with a memorable scene from literature, tradition or history.

The towers host important museums of the city – Archeology Museum and Military Museum and offer panoramic view, with their over 70 m height. The interior of the main building consists of corridors with brick arches and large staircases. The plaza is a magnet for tourists, who may choose a ride in a horse carriage as well as for souvenir sellers who display their castanets, fans and Flamenco dresses.