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SEVILLA - SPAIN
Seville (Spanish: Sevilla) is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital
of southern Spain, crossed by the river Guadalquivir. It is the capital of
Andalusia and of the province of Sevilla. The inhabitants of the city are
known as Sevillanos. As of the 2003 census, the population of the city of
Seville proper was 709,975, and the population of the entire urban urban
area was estimated in 2003 to be 1,294,081, ranking as the fourth-largest
urban area of Spain .
History
Seville was named Ishbiliya under the Moors and Hispalis under the Romans.
Legend has it that it was founded by the equally legendary Greek hero,
Hercules. Historians believe it was founded by the Tartessos in the 8th or
9th century BCE. Later it was occupied by the Phoenicians and the
Carthaginians, who destroyed the city in 216 BCE. In 206 BCE, Scipio
Africanus founded Italica nearby and began the reconstruction of Hispalis.
The architecture of the older parts of the city still reflects the centuries
of Moorish control of the city.
The city was long an important sea port, prior to the silting up of the
Guadalquivir. It sits well inland, but a mere 6 meters above sea level. Much
of the Spanish Empire's treasures from the New World came to Europe via
Seville, and Seville still holds the most important archive of the Spanish
administration in the Americas, the Archivo de Indias. The American riches
made it an attractor for people around Spain, ranging from latifundia nobles
and foreign merchants (brokered by Spanish cargadores) to an active crime
scene, pictured in the picaresque genre.
It was the home of Expo 92 World's Fair. The showpiece bridge across the
Guadalquivir, designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, was built
for this occasion. Seville also hosted the European Summit in June 2002;
this was met with a counter-summit by those opposing neoliberalism and the
tightening of European regulations on immigration.
Seville is known for its hot summer weather, reaching even 51 degrees
Celsius in the hottest days of the summer.
Renowned People Born in Seville
Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian were born in Italica, near Hispalis
Saint Isidore of Seville
Baroque painters Velázquez and Murillo
Romantic poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
20th century poets Vicente Aleixandre (Nobel Laureate), Antonio Machado and
Luis Cernuda
actress Carmen Sevilla
singer Isabel Pantoja
Sights
The city's great Cathedral was built from 1401 - 1519 after the Reconquista
on the former site of the city's mosque. The interior is lavishly decorated,
with a large quantity of gold evident. The Cathedral reused some columns and
elements from the old mosque, and most famously the Giralda, originally a
minaret, was converted into a bell tower. It is topped with a statue
representing Faith. The Giralda is the city's most famous symbol.
The Alcazar is the city's old Moorish Palace; construction was begun in
1181. Additional construction continued for over 500 years.
The Parque Maria Luisa was built for the 1929 Exposición Ibero-Americana
World's Fair, and now is landscaped with attractive monuments and museums.
Education
University of Seville
Pablo de Olavide University
Sports
Home town of two rival soccer teams Sevilla FC and Real Betis Balompié.
Seville hosted the 7th Athletics World Championships in 1999 .
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