The Plaza de la Leña (Firewood Square) is a picturesque medieval square located in the heart of the

old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the ''Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality whi ...

(Spain). It is the most typical medieval square in the historic centre and in Galicia.

Origin of the name

The square takes its name from the commercial activity that took place there in the past: wood and

pine cones A conifer cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants. It is usually woody, ovoid to globular, including scales and bracts arranged around a central axis, especially in conifers ...

were sold to supply kitchen ovens,

Fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

s and the old heating systems of the town's houses.

History

The Plaza de la Leña was known since the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

as ''Eirado'' or ''Eiradiño'' in the 15th century. This square housed a market where the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages went to sell the firewood that was to be used as fuel for the kitchens and houses of the town within the walls. Muleteers from the surrounding area would gather here with carts full of firewood and peasant women with their bundles of twigs and baskets of pine cones. This market took place every day, Monday being the most important day as it was the day when carts loaded with oak wood arrived in the town, which the bakers appreciated very much to feed their ovens. The square was redesigned and enlarged in the 18th century, when the two large

Pazo A Pazo is a type of Galician traditional house. Similar to a manor house, pazos are usually located in the countryside, as former residences of important people in the community (formerly of kings and nobility). They were of crucial importance in ...

s on the eastern side, the Pazo of Castro Monteagudo and the Pazo of García Flórez, were built. In 1854, it acquired the name of Firewood (''La Leña''). The 15th century granite

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...

in the centre of the square was placed there around 1941 at the request of Castelao. The calvary, which was broken into several pieces, was temporarily restored by Castelao for his work ''As cruces de pedra na Galiza''. The square was returned to its former pedestrian use on 7 April 1990. In 1998, several scenes from

José Luis Cuerda José Luis Cuerda Martínez (18 February 19474 February 2020) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer. He was born in Albacete and died on 4 February 2020 at the age of 72 in Madrid from an embolism. He won four Goy ...

's film

Butterfly's Tongue ''Butterfly's Tongue'' or ''Butterfly'' ( es, La lengua de las mariposas ; may be more literally translated as "''The Tongue of the Butterflies''"), is a 1999 Spanish film directed by José Luis Cuerda. The film centers on Moncho (Manuel Lozano) a ...

were filmed in the square.

Description

It is one of the smallest squares in the historic centre and the most picturesque medieval square in Galicia. It represents the typical medieval square of Galicia. Outstanding artists have made countless drawings, engravings, watercolours and oil paintings of it and it has been a source of inspiration for writers and poets such as Viñas Calvo. The square has an irregular rectangular shape. In the centre of the square is a 15th century granite calvary which have come from

Caldas de Reis Caldas de Reis is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the north of the province of Pontevedra. History In Ptolemy's Tables, the town Caldas de Reis (in Galician language) appears as ''Aquae calidae'' ( grc, Ὕδατα Θερμά, meaning hot ...

Pasantería and Figueroa streets converge in the square. On the east side of the square are the 18th-century

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

s García Flórez and Castro Monteagudo (now part of the

Pontevedra Museum The Pontevedra Museum (formerly the Pontevedra Provincial Museum) is a museum in the Galician city of Pontevedra in Spain. It was founded by the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra on 30 December 1927 and has six buildings for its exhibitions. ...

) linked by a kind of granite arch bridge. On the north, south and west sides there are popular Galician houses with wooden arcades and galleries on the west and south sides and balconies decorated with flowers on the north and south sides. The upper floors were once used for dwellings. The height of the houses varies between one and two floors.

Remarkable buildings

On the southeast side, the baroque

pazo A Pazo is a type of Galician traditional house. Similar to a manor house, pazos are usually located in the countryside, as former residences of important people in the community (formerly of kings and nobility). They were of crucial importance in ...

Castro Monteagudo, dating from 1760, stands out for its balcony supported by large

Modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). All ...

s, and the pazo García Flórez on the northeast side stands out for its huge stone coat of arms with a

great helm The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, is a helmet of the High Middle Ages which arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the Crusades and remained in use until the fourteenth century. The barreled ...

and for the stone statues on the corners of the roof representing

hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

and strength. The ground floor of the

Pazo de Castro Monteagudo The Pazo de Castro Monteagudo, is an 18th-century baroque pazo in Pasantería Street, next to the Plaza de la Leña in the city of Pontevedra, Spain, in the heart of the old town. History The pazo Castro Monteagudo was built in 1760, as ind ...

has had different uses over the centuries, for example as a restaurant or shop (as was the case with the ''La Imperial'' shop). The restaurant ''La Flor'' was located in this

during the first years of the 20th century. The boys' school was located on the first floor. The building was opened to the public as part of the

on 10 August 1929. The

Pazo de García Flórez The Pazo de García Flórez is an 18th century baroque pazo located between Sarmiento Street and Plaza de la Leña in the city of Pontevedra, Spain, in the heart of the old town. History At the end of the 18th century, Antonio García Estév ...

was the headquarters of the Teacher Training College from 1881 to 1930. It was inaugurated as a museum on 15 August 1943. The popular architectural houses in the square were built in the 18th century when the square was redeveloped.

Popular culture

Currently, the square is dedicated to hotels and restaurants and is partly occupied by the tables of the surrounding restaurants. In 2006, the Basque chef Iñaki Bretal opened his restaurant ''O Eirado da Leña'' in one of the houses in the square and in 2009 the restaurant ''Loaira'' in another of the houses. The ''O Eirado'' restaurant was awarded a

Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

in 2020.

Gallery

File: Praza da leña.Pontevedra.jpg, Typical Calvary in the centre of the square File: Pontevedra - Praza da Leña 4.JPG, Restaurant tables in the square File: Pontevedra - Praza da Leña 2.JPG, Stone cross and wooden galleries File: Pontevedra-Praza da leña, El Rianxo y el Rúas (14056262967).jpg, Plaza de la Leña at night File: Pontevedra - Praza da Leña 5.JPG, Wooden gallery File: Pontevedra - Praza da Leña 3.JPG, Balconies and galleries File: Praza da leña, Pontevedra.jpg, Arcades of the Fernández López building of the

File: Pontevedra. Crucero da Praza da Leña.jpg, Calvairy File: Praza da Leña, Pontevedra 2.jpg, Plaza de la Leña File: Pontevedra-Praza da leña01 (12410695335).jpg, The square at night File: Balcón no edificio Castro Monteagudo.jpg, Pazo Castro Monteagudo File: Ponte na rúa García Flórez.jpg, Arch bridge

References

Bibliography

* Aganzo, Carlos (2010): Pontevedra. Ciudades con encanto. El País Aguilar. . * Fontoira Surís, Rafael (2009): Pontevedra monumental. Diputación de Pontevedra. . * García-Braña, C. et al. (1988): Pontevedra, planteamiento histórico y urbanístico, Deputación Provincial de Pontevedra, Servizo de Publicacións, Pontevedra. * Juega Puig, J. et al. (1996): Historia de Pontevedra. Via Láctea, A Coruña. * Juega Puig, J. (2000): As ruas de Pontevedra. Deputación Provincial de Pontevedra, Servizo de Publicacións, Pontevedra. * * Nieto, Remigio (1980) : Guía monumental ilustrada de Pontevedra. Asociación de Comerciantes de la Calle Manuel Quiroga, Pontevedra.