Plaza de España

You have reached the end of the route and the most ambitious project of 20th-century Seville. This square sums up how the city wanted to present itself to the world in 1929: proud of its past and looking towards the Americas.

1An exhibition long delayed

The idea of a great exhibition in Seville was born early in the 20th century, but it was postponed again and again. It finally opened in 1929 as the Ibero-American Exposition, with pavilions from Spain, Portugal and the countries of the Americas spread across María Luisa Park. Aníbal González, the architect who shaped Seville's regionalist style, designed this square as its centrepiece. Work began in 1914 and lasted fifteen years.

2Brick, ceramics and symbolism

The building blends exposed brick, marble and Triana ceramics, with echoes of the Renaissance and the Baroque. Its open half-circle is often read as Spain's embrace of its former American territories, facing the river from which the ships once set sail. The two towers rise to about 70 metres.

Aníbal González died in 1929, just a few weeks after seeing the exhibition open.

After the exhibition the building was given over to military and government use. It was restored between 2002 and 2010 and declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 2023.

3What to look for

• The 52 medallions of famous figures running along the façade.
• The four bridges, dedicated to the old kingdoms of Castile, León, Aragon and Navarre.
• The towers, inspired by Baroque tradition.