Plaza de España, also known simply as Plaza España, is a diminutive open space in

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

formed by the intersection of Andres Soriano Avenue, Solana Street and Muralla Street. It is a triangular "square" which features a monument to King Philip II of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

after whom the Philippines was named. The square is one of 47 parks and plazas in the City of Manila maintained by the city's Park Development Office in partnership with the

Intramuros Administration The Intramuros Administration (IA) is an agency of the Department of Tourism of the Philippines that is mandated to orderly restore, administer, and develop the historic walled area of Intramuros that is situated within the modern City of Manil ...

. It is surrounded by the

Aduana Building The Aduana Building (''Aduana de Manila'' or ''Manila Customs House''), also known as the Intendencia, was a Spanish colonial structure in Manila, Philippines that housed several government offices through the years. It is located in front of the ...

, the BPI Intramuros building which replaced the old Santo Domingo Church destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and the

Banco Filipino Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank (), or simply Banco Filipino, was a savings and loan association based in the Philippines. It is also known for property developments such as BF Homes, subdivisions in Caloocan, Quezon City, Parañaque, ...

condominium building built on a portion of the old

Ayuntamiento de Manila The Ayuntamiento de Manila (Manila City Hall) is a building located at the corner of Andrés Soriano Avenue (formerly, ''Calle Aduana'') and Cabildo Street, fronting Plaza de Roma in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. Also known as the Casas Consi ...

. In the early Spanish colonial period, the square was known simply as ''Plaza Aduana''. It was renamed to ''Plaza de los Martires de la Integridad de la Patria'' or simply ''Plaza de Martires'' in 1897 after the Spanish soldiers who died during the Philippine Revolution. It was in 1902 during the

American colonial period The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centur ...

when the plaza came to be known by its present name. The Intramuros Administration began restoring the plaza in 1982. In 1998, the monument to King Philip II was erected in the center of the plaza. It was inaugurated in 2000 during the state visit of

Queen Sofía Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

as part of the celebration of the

Philippine Centennial The Philippine Centennial was a series of celebrations by the Philippine government to primarily commemorate the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898. Background The Philippine Centennial primarily co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaza Espana Espana Buildings and structures in Intramuros

See also

References