Seville

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Seville / Sevilla
The Cathedral of Seville is one of the largest in the world
Flag of Sevilla Coat of arms of Sevilla
Flag Coat of Arms
NO8DO
("From Andalusian: "No ma dejado" - I was not abandoned")
Location
Coordinates : (Coordinates: 37°22′38″N 5°59′13″W / 37.37722, -5.98694)
Time zone : CET (GMT +1)
- summer : CEST (GMT +2)
General information
Native name Sevilla (Spanish)
Spanish name Sevilla
Founded 8th-9th century BC
Postal code 41001-41080
Website http://www.sevilla.org
Administration
Country Spain
Autonomous Community Andalucía
Province Sevilla
Mayor Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín (PSOE)
Geography
Land Area 140 km²
Altitude 7 m AMSL
Population
Population 699,145 (about 1.5 millions in metro area) (2007)
Density 4,947.6 hab./km² (2007)
Seville in the 16th century
Seville in the 16th century

Seville (Spanish: Sevilla [se'bi.ʝa], see also different names) is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Sevilla. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos (feminine form: Sevillanas) or Hispalenses. The population of the city of Seville was 699,145 as of 2007 (INE estimate). The population of the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) was 1,450,214 as of 2007 (INE estimate), ranking as the fourth largest metropolitan area of Spain.

Contents

[edit] History

Seville is more than two thousand years old. The passage of the various people instrumental in its growth has left the city with a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical centre.

The city was known from early Roman times as Hispalis. The nearby Roman city of Italica is well-preserved and gives an impression of how Hispalis may have looked in the later Roman period. Existing Roman features in Seville include the remnants of an aqueduct.

After successive conquests of the Roman province of Hispania Baetica by the Vandals and Visigoths, in the 5th and 6th centuries, the city was taken by the Moors in 712 and became an important centre in Muslim Andalusia. It remained under Muslim control, under the authority of the Umayyad, Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, until falling to Fernando III in 1248. The city retains many Moorish features, including large sections of the city wall.

Following the Reconquest, the city's development continued, with the construction of public buildings including churches, many in Mudéjar style. Later, the city experienced another golden age of development brought about by wealth accumulating from the awarding of a monopoly of trade with the Spanish territories in the New World. After the silting up of the Guadalquivir, the city went into relative economic decline.

Seville's development in the 19th and 20th centuries was characterised by population growth and increasing industrialisation.

Seville fell very quickly to General Franco's troops near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 due to its proximity to the invasion force coming from Morocco. After the initial takeover of the city, resistance continued amongst the working class areas for some time, until a series of fierce reprisals took place.[1][2]

[edit] Main city sights

Monuments

The city's cathedral was built from 1401–1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city's mosque. It is amongst the largest of all medieval and Gothic cathedrals, in terms of both area and volume. The interior is the longest nave in Spain, and is lavishly decorated, with a large quantity of gold evident. The Cathedral reused some columns and elements from the mosque, and, most famously, the Giralda, originally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower. It is topped with a statue, known locally as El Giraldillo, representing Faith. The tower's interior was built with ramps rather than stairs, to allow the Muezzin and others to ride to the top.

Torre del Oro
Torre del Oro

The Alcázar facing the cathedral has developed from the city's old Moorish Palace; construction was begun in 1181 and continued for over 500 years, mainly in Mudéjar style, but also in Renaissance. Its gardens are a blend of Moorish, Andalusian, and Christian traditions.

The Torre del Oro was built by the Almohad dynasty as watchtower and defensive barrier on the river. A chain was strung through the water from the base of the tower to prevent boats from traveling into the river port.

The Town Hall, built in the 16th century in Plateresque Style by Diego de Riaño. The Façade to Plaza Nueva was built in the 19th century in Neoclassical style.

The University of Sevilla is housed in the original site of the first tobacco factory in Europe, La Antigua Fabrica de Tabacos.

Parks and gardens
  • The Alcázar Gardens, arranged to the back of the palace. They were planted and developed alongside the Alcázar throughout the centuries. Sheltered within the walls of the palace, they are laid out in terraces, and present variations of influences, styles and plants in each sector.
  • The Gardens of Murillo and the Gardens of Catalina de Ribera: alongside the wall of the Alcázar and next to the district of Santa Cruz.

Other prominent parks and gardens include:

  • Parque de los Príncipes
  • Parque del Alamillo
  • Parque Amate
  • Parque Metropolitano de la Cartuja
  • Jardines de las Delicias
  • Jardín Americano
  • Jardín Este
  • Jardines de Cristina
  • Jardines Chapina
  • Jardines de la Buhaira
  • Jardines de San Telmo
  • Jardines del Guadalquivir
  • Jardines del Valle

[edit] Climate

Climate chart for Seville
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
66
 
14
4
 
 
61
 
15
5
 
 
90
 
18
7
 
 
61
 
21
9
 
 
41
 
24
11
 
 
8
 
28
15
 
 
1
 
32
18
 
 
5
 
32
17
 
 
19
 
28
15
 
 
70
 
23
12
 
 
67
 
17
7
 
 
79
 
15
5
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm
source: BBC Weather
Imperial conversion

The climate of Seville is Mediterranean, with oceanic influences. The annual average temperature is 16.2 °C (61 °F), which makes this city one of the warmest in Europe.

  • Winters are mild: January is the coolest month, with average maximum temperatures of 14.3 °C (58 °F) and minimum of 4.2 °C (40 °F).
  • Summers are very warm: August is the warmest month, with average maximum temperatures of 32.1 °C (90 °F) and minimum temperatures of 18.4 °C (65 °F) and every year the temperature exceeds 33 °C (91 °F) on several occasions. The registrated extreme temperatures by the weather station at Seville Airport are −6.1 °C (21 °F) on 12 February 1956, and 46.6 °C (116 °F) on 23 July 1995. There is a non-accredited record by the National Institute of Meteorology which is 47.2 °C (117 °F) on 1 August during the 2003 heat wave, according to a weather station (83910 LEZL) located in the southern part of Seville Airport, near the abandoned military zone. This temperature would be one of the highest ever recorded in Spain and Europe.
  • Precipitation varies from 600 to 800 mm (23.5–31.5 in) per year, concentrated in the period October to April. December is the wettest month, with an average rainfall of 95 millimetres (4 in). On average there are 52 days of rain, 2,898 hours of sun and four days of frost per year.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Festivals

A man playing the accordion in the Old Quarters of Seville.
A man playing the accordion in the Old Quarters of Seville.

Semana Santa and the Seville Fair, La Feria de Sevilla (also Feria de Abril, "April Fair") are the two most well-known of Seville's festivals. Seville is internationally renowned for the solemn but beautiful processions during Holy Week and the colourful and lively fair held two weeks after. During Feria, families, businesses and organisations set up casetas, marquees, in which they spend the week dancing, drinking, and socialising. Traditionally, women wear elaborate flamenco dresses and men dress in their best suits. The marquees are set up on a permanent fairground in which each street is named after a famous bullfighter.

[edit] Gastronomy

Seville is a gastronomic centre, with a cuisine based on the products of the surrounding provinces, including seafood from Cádiz, olive oil from Jaén, and sherry from Jerez de la Frontera.

The tapas scene is one of the main cultural attractions of the city: people go from one bar to another, enjoying small dishes called tapas (literally "lids" or "covers" in Spanish, referring to their probable origin as snacks served in small plates used to cover drinks.)

Local specialities include fried and grilled seafood (including squid, cuttlefish, swordfish and dogfish), grilled meats in sauces, spinach and chickpeas, Andalusian ham (Jamón ibérico), lamb's kidneys in a sherry sauce, snails, and gazpacho.

Typical sweet cakes of this province are polvorones and mantecados from the town of Estepa, a kind of shortcake made with almonds, sugar and lard; Pestiños, a honey-coated sweet fritter; Roscos fritos, deep-fried sugar-coated ring doughnuts; magdalenas or fairy cakes; yemas de San Leandro, which provide the city's convents with a source of revenue, and Tortas de aceite, a thin sugar-coated cake made with olive oil.

Except for polvorones and mantecados, which are traditional Christmas products, all of these are consumed throughout the year.

The Seville oranges that dot the city landscape, too bitter for modern tastes, are commonly used to make marmalade.

[edit] Flamenco and Sevillana

The Sevillana dance, commonly presented as flamenco, is not thought to be of Sevillan origin. But the folksongs called Sevillanas are authentically Sevillan, as is the four-part dance that goes with them.

Seville, and most significantly the traditionally gypsy barrio, Triana, was a major centre in the development of flamenco.

Giralda replica in Kansas City, Missouri
Giralda replica in Kansas City, Missouri

[edit] Motto

The motto of Seville is "NO8DO". The "8" is shaped like a skein of wool, or, madeja in Spanish. The motto, therefore, is a rebus, reading "NO madeja DO," a play on the sentence, "No me ha dejado," or "she [the city] has not abandoned me [the king]".

The motto, according to one legend, refers to the city's support of King Alphonse X in a 13th-century war with his son, Don Sancho. Another places the phrase in the mouth of Ferdinand III while riding into the city after expelling the Moors in 1248. This motto is seen in the city flag and throughout Seville, inscribed on manhole covers, and on some street signs.

[edit] Sister cities

Seville has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

[edit] Economy

The economic activity of Seville cannot be detached from the geographical and urban context of the city; the capital of Andalusia is the centre of a growing metropolitan area. Aside from traditional neighborhoods such as Santa Cruz, Triana and La Macarena, those further away from the centre, such as Nervión, Sevilla Este, and El Porvenir have seen recent economic growth. Over the past twenty years, this urban area has seen significant population growth and the development of new industrial and commercial parks.

Due to its size and location, Seville is economically the strongest of the Andalusian cities. The infrastructure available in the city contributes to the growth of an economy dominated by the service sector, but in which industry still holds a considerable place.

[edit] Economic infrastructure

The Alamillo Bridge
The Alamillo Bridge

The economic development of the city and its urban area is supported by good transport links to other Spanish cities, including a high-speed AVE railway link to Madrid, and an international airport.

In addition:

  • Seville has the only river port of the Iberian peninsula, located 80 km (50 mi) from the mouth of the River Guadalquivir. This harbor complex offers access to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and allows trade in goods between the south of Spain (Andalusia, Extremadura) and Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The port has undergone reorganisation. Annual tonnage rose to 5.3 million tonnes of goods in 2006.
  • Seville has conference facilities, including the Congress Palace.
  • The city and its surrounding province have a number of large industrial parks and technology centres: Dos Hermanas accommodates the largest Andalusian industrial park, while Alcalá de Guadaíra has the largest industrial complex by surface area in Andalusia; the Parque Científico Tecnológico Sevilla Tecnopolis, gathers companies, research centres and university departments directed towards the development of new technologies; the Parque Tecnológico y Aeronáutico Aerópolis is focused on the aircraft industry.

[edit] Characteristics by sector

The town of Seville and its agglomeration have, by their situation in the heart of the plain of the Guadalquivir, maintained dynamic agricultural activity. Agroalimentary industry is flourishing there. Nevertheless, for a long time the area has been looking to the future, while investing massively in industrial activities, supported by the existing infrastructures. The service sector and new technologies are increasingly important. Seville concentrated, in 2004, 31% of large Andalusian companies and 128 of the 6,000 largest national companies. In 2005, the metropolitan area counted a working population of 471,947 people, of which 329,471 (69.81%) worked within the city centre.

  • Agriculture represents less than 1.3% of the workers of the city. Cereal, fruit and olive-growing constitute the principal agricultural activities in this area of Andalusia.
  • Industry contributes up to 28% of the economic output of Seville. It employed in 2005 15.2% of workers in the city. It is well established in the metropolitan area, stimulated by the various industrial parks, the presence of good infrastructure and the proximity of the complexes of the Bays of Cádiz, Algeciras, and Huelva.
  • The service sector employs 83.5% of the working population of Seville. It represents a significant share of the local economy and is centred on tourism, trade and financial services.

[edit] Research and development

The city of Seville makes a significant contribution to scientific research, as it houses the first and largest DNA bank in Spain, through the local company Neocodex. Neocodex stores 20,000 DNA samples and is recognised internationally. In addition, Seville is also considered an important technological and research centre for renewable energies and the aeronautics industry.

Through its high-tech centres and its fabric of innovating companies, the Andalusian capital has risen to among the most important Spanish cities in term of development and research. Moroever, the scientific and technological activity of the three Seville universities has to be added, whose certain laboratories and research centres work in close connection with the local socio-economic power. Thus, the Parque Científico Tecnológico Sevilla Tecnopolis gathers private and public actors in various fields of research.

The principal innovation and research orientations are telecommunications, new technologies, biotechnologies (in relation to local agricultural specificities), environment and renewable energy.

[edit] Transportation

Sevilla is served by the TUSSAM (Transportes Urbanos de Sevilla) bus network which runs buses throughout the city as well as outlying areas surrounding Sevilla. El Metrocentro Tranvia is a tram line consisting of four stops, running from el Prado bus station, past the University and the Cathedral, and stopping at Plaza Nueva where the direction of service reverses.

By the end of 2008, the city hopes to see completion of its first metro line, almost 28 months later than originally planned. The project experienced several delays caused by various reasons, including the relocation of archaeological findings and the need for a deeper tunnel under the Guadalquivir River, to avoid possible water leakages.

The Santa Justa train station is served by the AVE high-speed rail system, and is operated by the Spanish state-owned rail company Renfe.

Currently in progress as well is the Sevici community bicycle program which has integrated bicycles into the public transport network. Across the city, bicycles are available for hire at low cost and green bicycle lanes can be seen on most major streets. This network of lanes (carriles) is also currently being expanded.

[edit] Education

[edit] Famous people born in Seville and Seville province

[edit] Sport

  • Sevilla FC stadium Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán hosted the 1982 World Cup Semi-Finals in which Germany beat France in the penalty shoot-outs after a 3-3 tie.
  • Seville also hosted in 2003 the UEFA Cup Final in the new Olympic stadium. The final was between Celtic F.C. (Scotland) and Futebol Clube do Porto (Portugal). The match finished in extra time 3–2 to Porto after a 2-2 draw at 90 minutes.
  • Sevilla FC won the 2006 UEFA Cup, their first European trophy, with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough FC of England in the final, played at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven on May 10, 2006. Sevilla retained the UEFA Cup in 2007 against fellow Spaniards Espanyol in 3-1 on penalties, after a 2-2 draw at Hampden Park, Glasgow. They are also the holders of the European Supercup which they won with a 0-3 defeat of F.C. Barcelona (Spain) in Stade Louis II in Monaco on August 26, 2006. On June 23, 2007 Sevilla FC won the King's Cup (Copa del Rey) beating Getafe 1-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Real Betis are the 2005 King's Cup (Copa del Rey) Champions, and were the first team from Andalusia to compete in the UEFA Champion's League competition in 2005-2006.

[edit] Seville in fiction

[edit] Literature, television's inspired

[edit] In movies

[edit] Gallery

View of the Cathedral of Seville and the Archivo de Indias

The distinctive cloaks and hoods (capirotes) of the Easter Holy Week processions

Night view of Bridge of Triana from Betis Street

Night view of Plaza de España

1929 Exposition Building, the Plaza de España

Seville AVE Railway Station

The Giralda Tower

Old Quarters

"Caños de Carmona", old Roman Aqueduct

Seville Maestranza de Caballería bullring

Plaza del Pan

Torre del Oro as seen from Triana

The canal in Seville

Plaza de España

Alcázar of Seville gardens

One of Seville's Holy Week processions

Indian Scout statue in Kansas City Avenue (Seville's sister city)

Orange groves and the Giralda Tower, one of the major landmarks of the city of Seville, Spain

The Cathedral of Seville as looking east from the Torre de Oro

The Puente de la Barqueta connects the Arenal neighborhood with Isla de la Cartuja

[edit] References

  1. ^ worldspin360: Seville & Malaga
  2. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=-ncWULEubPQC&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=seville+fell+1936&source=web&ots=6GMvQVt4EY&sig=XAVObPeB8A3ChkDoOLEdTPpbiOk#PPA93,M1

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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v • d • e
Neighborhoods of Seville

Macarena · Triana · Nervión · Santa Cruz · Centro · Los Remedios · La Cartuja · Sevilla Este · Pino Montano · El Porvenir · Polígono Norte · Polígono San Pablo · La Palmera · Torreblanca · Bellavista · Tres Mil Viviendas · Valdezorras · El Vacie · Encarnación - La Campana · La Alameda · El Arenal ·