Seville Tourist Attractions

Cathedral

Seville Cathedral, one of the largest and richest Gothic cathedrals in Christendom, unmatched in its impressive spatial effect and its abundance of art treasures, was built between 1402 and 1506 on the site of the town's principal mosque.





Museum of Fine Art

In the western part of the old town of Seville, reached from the Plaza del Duque by way of Calle de Alfonso XII, is the 17th century Convento de la Merced, now occupied by the Museum of Art, which has the finest collection of pictures in Spain after the Prado in Madrid, particularly of the works by 17th century Spanish painters. The museum is currently undergoing a thorough reorganization, with the result that only two rooms are at present open where the most important paintings of the collection are on show. In the smaller room Spanish masters of the 18th to 20th centuries are represented; in the fine main room are works of the 15th to 17th centuries.

Alcazar

On the southeast side of the Plaza del Triunfo in Seville stands the Alcázar, the stronghold of the Moorish and later of the Christian kings. The present structure, still with the aspect of a medieval fortress, was built by Moorish architects in the second half of the 14th century, in the reign of Pedro the Cruel. The entrance leads into the Patio de las Banderas, planted with orange-trees, and through the Jardín del Crucero into the Patio de la Montería, the Court of the Royal Bodyguard, on the south side of which is the richly articulated main front of the Alcázar proper.

Casa de Pilatos

Some 500m/550yd east of San Salvador by way of Calle de Aguilas, in the Plaza de Pilatos, is the 16th century Casa de Pilatos, built by Moorish and Christian architects, which is popularly believed to be a copy of Pilate's house in Jerusalem. It shows a charming variant of the Mudéjar style, modified by Gothic and Renaissance features. The house is laid out round a beautiful patio decorated with azulejos and pieces of antique sculpture. The interior is also in Mudéjar style. Particularly fine are the Salón Dorado (Golden Room), with faience decoration and a coffered ceiling, the Grand Staircase and the private chapel. A number of rooms are occupied by a museum of Roman sculpture.

Former Site EXPO '92

From April 20 to October 12, 1992 Seville was home to the World Exhibition EXPO '92 in which 109 countries, 22 international organizations, the 17 autonomous regions of Spain and important manufacturers took part. The main theme ''Age of Discovery'' was to commemorate the 500 year anniversary of Colombus's voyage of discovery in 1492. The island of La Cartuja in the Guadalquivir river, north of the district of Triana, was chosen as the site for the exhibition and was linked to the old town of Seville by a monorail, a cablecar (telecabina) and two bridges. The exhibition was to be a showpiece of modern architecture and some spectacular buildings were constructed: the different countries' pavilions such as the Japanese pagoda (the largest wooden building in the world), the British water pavilion, the Norwegian pavilion in the shape of a North Sea pipeline, the four pavilions on the themes of ''15th Century'', ''Sea journey'', ''Age of Discoveries'' (which actually burned down during the exhibition) and ''Present and Future'' - the viewing tower and spectacular bridges Alamillo and La Barqueta by Santiago Calatrava. However, the centerpiece of the exhibition was the Royal Pavilion, the only old building on the island, the former Carthusian monastery Santa Maria de las Cuevas founded in 1401 in which Colombus planned his Atlantic voyage and was used as a ceramics factory by the Englishman Pickman from 1839 onwards. The old kilns can be seen in the Pickman museum.

Parque de Maria Luisa

To the south of the Tobacco Factory in Seville, in the Avenida de Isabel la Católica, is the main entrance to the large Parque de María Luisa, laid out by the Infanta María Luisa Fernanda de Borbón.

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