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Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
. Seville has a municipal population of about 685,000 , and a
metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...
population of about 1.5 million, making it the largest city in Andalusia, the fourth-largest city in Spain and the 26th most populous municipality in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
. Its old town, with an area of , contains three
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace complex, the
Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
and the General Archive of the Indies. The Seville harbour, located about from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain. The capital of Andalusia features hot temperatures in the summer, with daily maximums routinely above in July and August. Seville was founded as the Roman city of . Known as ''Ishbiliyah'' after the Islamic conquest in 711, Seville became the centre of the independent
Taifa of Seville The Taifa of Seville ( ''Ta'ifat-u Ishbiliyyah'') was an Arab kingdom which was ruled by the Abbadid dynasty. It was established in 1023 and lasted until 1091, in what is today southern Spain and Portugal. It gained independence from the Cali ...
following the collapse of the
Caliphate of Córdoba The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خلافة قرطبة; transliterated ''Khilāfat Qurṭuba''), also known as the Cordoban Caliphate was an Islamic state ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 929 to 1031. Its territory comprised Iberia and part ...
in the early 11th century; later it was ruled by Almoravids and
Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire ...
until being incorporated to the Crown of Castile in 1248. Owing to its role as gateway of the Spanish Empire's trans-atlantic trade, managed from the Casa de Contratación, Seville became one of the largest cities in Western Europe in the 16th century. Coinciding with the Baroque period, the 17th century in Seville represented the most brilliant flowering of the city's culture; then began a gradual economic and demographic decline as silting in the Guadalquivir forced the trade monopoly to relocate to the nearby port of Cádiz. The 20th century in Seville saw the tribulations of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
, decisive cultural milestones such as the
Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 (Spanish: ''Exposición iberoamericana de 1929'') was a world's fair held in Seville, Spain, from 9 May 1929 until 21 June 1930. Countries in attendance of the exposition included: Portugal, the United Stat ...
and Expo '92, and the city's election as the capital of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.


Name


Other names

''Hisbaal'' is the oldest name for Seville. It appears to have originated during the Phoenician colonisation of the Tartessian culture in south-western Iberia and it refers to the god Baal. According to Manuel Pellicer Catalán, the ancient name was Spal, and it meant "lowland" in the Phoenician language ( cognate to the Hebrew '' Shfela'' and the Arabic ''Asfal'' ). During
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
rule, the name was Latinised as and later as . After the Umayyad invasion, this name remained in use among the Mozarabs, being adapted into Arabic as ''Išbīliya'' (): since the /p/ phoneme does not exist in Arabic, it was replaced by /b/; the Latin place-name suffix ''-is'' was Arabized as ''-iya'', and ''a'' turned into ''ī'' due to the phonetic phenomenon called '' imāla''. In the meantime, the city's official name had been changed to ''Ḥimṣ al-Andalus'' (), in reference to the city of Homs in modern Syria, the jund of which Seville had been assigned to upon the Umayyad conquest; "Ḥimṣ al-Andalus" remained a customary and affectionate name for the city during the whole period throughout the Muslim Arab world, being referred to for example in the encyclopedia of Yaqut al-Hamawi or in
Abu al-Baqa ar-Rundi Abu Muhammad Salih b. Abi Sharif ar-Rundi () (or Abu-l-Tayyib/ Abu-l-Baqa Salih b. Sharif al-Rundi) was a poet, writer, and literary critic from al-Andalus who wrote in Arabic. His fame is based on his '' nuniyya'' entitled "" ''Rithaa' ul-Andalus' ...
's '' Ritha' al-Andalus''. The city is sometimes referred to as the "Pearl of Andalusia". The inhabitants of the city are known as (feminine form: ) or , after the Roman name of the city.


Motto

''NO8DO'' is the official motto of Seville, popularly believed to be a rebus signifying the Spanish , meaning "She evillehas not abandoned me". The phrase, pronounced with synalepha as no-madeja-do, is written with an eight in the middle representing the word "skein
f wool F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...
. Legend states that the title was given by King
Alfonso X Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Ger ...
, who was resident in the city's Alcázar and supported by the citizens when his son, later Sancho IV of Castile, tried to usurp the throne from him. The emblem is present on Seville's municipal flag, and features on city property such as manhole covers, and
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
's tomb in the cathedral.


History

Seville is approximately 2,200 years old. The passage of the various civilizations instrumental in its growth has left the city with a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical centre.


Early periods

The mythological founder of the city is Hercules ( Heracles), commonly identified with the Phoenician god Melqart, who the myth says sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Atlantic, and founded trading posts at the current sites of Cádiz and of Seville. The original core of the city, in the neighbourhood of the present-day street, Cuesta del Rosario, dates to the 8th century BC, when Seville was on an island in the Guadalquivir. Archaeological excavations in 1999 found anthropic remains under the north wall of the Real Alcázar dating to the 8th–7th century BC. The town was called ''Hisbaal'' by the Phoenicians and by the Tartessians, the indigenous pre-Roman Iberian people of Tartessos, who controlled the Guadalquivir Valley at the time. The city was known from Roman times as ''Hispal'' and later as ''Hispalis''. Hispalis developed into one of the great market and industrial centres of Hispania, while the nearby Roman city of Italica (present-day Santiponce, birthplace of the Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian) remained a typically Roman residential city. Large-scale Roman archaeological remains can be seen there and at the nearby town of
Carmona Carmona may refer to: Places Angola * the former name of the town of Uíge Costa Rica * Carmona District, Nandayure, a district in Guanacaste Province India * Carmona, Goa, a village located in the Salcette district of South Goa, India ...
as well. Existing Roman features in Seville itself include the remains exposed ''in situ'' in the underground Antiquarium of the Metropol Parasol building, the remnants of an aqueduct, three pillars of a temple in ''Mármoles'' Street, the columns of La Alameda de Hércules and the remains in the Patio de Banderas square near the Seville Cathedral. The walls surrounding the city were originally built during the rule of Julius Caesar, but their current course and design were the result of Moorish reconstructions. Following Roman rule, there were successive conquests of the Roman province of ''
Hispania Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basic di ...
'' by the Germanic Vandals, Suebi and Visigoths during the 5th and 6th centuries.


Middle Ages

In the wake of the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Seville (''Spalis'') was seemingly taken by
Musa ibn Nusayr Musa ibn Nusayr ( ar, موسى بن نصير ''Mūsá bin Nuṣayr''; 640 – c. 716) served as a Umayyad governor and an Arab general under the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I. He ruled over the Muslim provinces of North Africa ( Ifriqiya), and dire ...
in the late summer of 712, while he was on his way to Mérida. Yet it had to be retaken in July 713 by troops led by his son Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, as the Visigothic population who had fled to Beja had returned to Seville once Musa left for Mérida. The seat of the Wali of
Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...
(administrative division of the
Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
) was thus established in the city until 716, when the capital of Al-Andalus was relocated to Córdoba. Seville (''Ishbīliya'') was sacked by Vikings in the mid-9th century. After Vikings arrived by 25 September 844, Seville fell to invaders on 1 October, and they stood for 40 days before they fled from the city. During Umayyad rule, under an Andalusi-Arab framework, the bulk of the population were Muladi converts, to which Christian and Jewish minorities added up. Up until the arrival of the Almohads in the 12th century, the city remained as the see of a Metropolitan Archbishop, the leading Christian religious figure in al-Andalus. However, the transfer of the relics of Saint Isidore to León circa 1063, in the taifa period, already hinted at a possible worsening of the situation of the local Christian minority. A powerful ''taifa'' kingdom with capital in Seville emerged after 1023, in the wake of the fitna of al-Andalus. Ruled by the
Abbadid dynasty The Abbadid dynasty or Abbadids ( ar, بنو عباد, Banū ʿAbbādi) was an Arab Muslim dynasty which arose in al-Andalus on the downfall of the Caliphate of Cordoba (756–1031). After the collapse, there were multiple small Muslim states cal ...
, the taifa grew by aggregation of smaller neighbouring ''taifas''. During the taifa period, Seville became an important scholarly and literary centre. After several months of siege, Seville was conquered by the Almoravids in 1091. The city fell to the
Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire ...
on 17 January 1147 (12 Shaʽban 541). After an informal Almohad settlement in Seville during the early stages of the Almohad presence in the Iberian Peninsula and then a brief relocation of the capital of al-Andalus to Córdoba in 1162 (which had dire consequences for Seville, reportedly depopulated and under starvation), Seville became the definitive seat of the Andalusi part of the Almohad Empire in 1163, a twin capital alongside Marrakech. Almohads carried out a large urban renewal. By the end of the 12th century, the walled enclosure perhaps contained 80,000 inhabitants. In the wider context of the Castilian–Leonese conquest of the Guadalquivir Valley that ensued in the 13th century, Ferdinand III laid siege on Seville in 1247. A
naval blockade A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
came to prevent relief of the city. The city surrendered on 23 November 1248, after fifteen months of siege. The conditions of capitulation contemplated the eviction of the population, with contemporary sources seemingly confirming that a mass movement of people out of Seville indeed took place. The city's development continued after the Castilian conquest in 1248. Public buildings were constructed including churches—many of which were built in the '' Mudéjar'' and
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
styles—such as the Seville Cathedral, built during the 15th century with
Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
. Other Moorish buildings were converted into Catholic edifices, as was customary of the Catholic Church during the Reconquista. The Moors' Palace became the Castilian royal residence, and during Pedro I's rule it was replaced by the Alcázar (the upper levels are still used by the Spanish royal family as the official Seville residence). After the 1391 pogrom, believed to having been instigated by the Archdeacon Ferrant Martínez, all the synagogues in Seville were converted to churches (renamed Santa María la Blanca, San Bartolomé, Santa Cruz, and Convento Madre de Dios). The Jewish quarter's land and shops (which were located in modern-day Barrio Santa Cruz) were appropriated by the church. Many Jews were killed during the pogrom, although most were forced to convert. The first tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition was instituted in Seville in 1478. Its primary charge was to ensure that all nominal Christians were really behaving like Christians, and not practicing what Judaism they could in secret. At first, the activity of the Inquisition was limited to the dioceses of Seville and Córdoba, where the Dominican friar, Alonso de Ojeda, had detected converso activity. Description of Dominican friar who agitated for the Spanish Inquisition. The first Auto de Fé took place in Seville on 6 February 1481, when six people were burned alive. Alonso de Ojeda himself gave the sermon. The Inquisition then grew rapidly. The Plaza de San Francisco was the site of the 'autos de fé'. By 1492, tribunals existed in eight Castilian cities: Ávila, Córdoba, Jaén, Medina del Campo, Segovia, Sigüenza, Toledo, and Valladolid; and by the Alhambra Decree all Jews were forced to convert to Catholicism or be exiled (expelled) from Spain.Levine Melammed, Renee. "Women in Medieval Jewish Societies." ''Women and Judaism: New Insights and Scholarship''. Ed. Frederick E. Greenspahn. New York: New York University Press, 2009. 105–106.


Early modern period

Following the Columbian exploration of the New World, Seville was chosen as headquarters of the Casa de Contratación in 1503, which was the decisive development for Seville becoming the port and gateway to the Indies. Unlike other harbours, reaching the port of Seville required sailing about up the River Guadalquivir. The choice of Seville was made in spite of the difficulties for navigation in the Guadalquivir stemming from the increasing tonnage of ships as a result of the relentless drive to make maritime transport cheaper during the late Middle Ages. Nevertheless, technical suitability issues notwithstanding, the choice was still reasonable in the sense that Seville had become the largest demographic, economic and financial centre of Christian Andalusia in the late Middle Ages. A 'golden age of development' commenced in Seville, due to its being the only port awarded the royal monopoly for trade with the growing Spanish colonies in the Americas and the influx of riches from them. Since only sailing ships leaving from and returning to the inland port of Seville could engage in trade with the Spanish Americas, merchants from Europe and other trade centres needed to go to Seville to acquire New World trade goods. The city's population grew to more than a hundred thousand people. In the late 16th century the monopoly was broken, with the port of Cádiz also authorised as a port of trade. Throughout the 17th century, colonial trade declined. Spain's American Colonies improved their production of basic goods, reducing their need to import. Compounded with these tribulations was the silting of the Guadalquivir river in the 1620s, which made Seville's harbors harder to use, and ceased upriver shipping. The Great Plague of Seville in 1649, exacerbated by excessive flooding of the Guadalquivir, reduced the population by almost half, and it would not recover until the early 19th century. By the 18th century, Seville's international importance was in decline. After the silting up of the harbour by the River Guadalquivir, upriver shipping ceased and the city went into relative economic decline. The writer Miguel de Cervantes lived primarily in Seville between 1596 and 1600. Because of financial problems, Cervantes worked as a purveyor for the Spanish Armada, and later as a tax collector. In 1597, discrepancies in his accounts of the three years previous landed him in the Royal Prison of Seville for a short time. His short story '' Rinconete y Cortadillo'', since the 19th century one of his most-read pieces, includes much description of Sevillian society; it features two young vagabonds who come to Seville, attracted by the riches and disorder that the 16th-century commerce with the Americas had brought to the city. During the 18th century Charles III of Spain promoted Seville's industries. Construction of the ''Real Fábrica de Tabacos'' (
Royal Tobacco Factory The Royal Tobacco Factory ( es, Real Fábrica de Tabacos) is an 18th-century stone building in Seville, southern Spain. Since the 1950s it has been the seat of the rectorate of the University of Seville. Prior to that, it was, as its name indicat ...
) began in 1728. It was the second-largest building in Spain, after the royal residence El Escorial. Since the 1950s it has been the seat of the rectorate (administration) of the University of Seville, as well as its Schools of Law, Philology (language/letters), Geography, and History. More operas have been set in Seville than in any other city of Europe. In 2012, a study of experts concluded the total number of operas set in Seville is 153. Among the composers who fell in love with the city are
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
(''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, ...
''), Mozart ('' The Marriage of Figaro'' and '' Don Giovanni''), Rossini ('' The Barber of Seville''), Donizetti ('' La favorite''), and
Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', which has become on ...
('' Carmen''). The first newspaper in Spain outside of Madrid was Seville's ''Hebdomario útil de Seville'', which began publication in 1758.


Late modern history

Between 1825 and 1833, Melchor Cano acted as chief architect in Seville; most of the urban planning policy and architectural modifications of the city were made by him and his collaborator Jose Manuel Arjona y Cuba. Industrial architecture surviving today from the first half of the 19th century includes the ceramics factory installed in the Carthusian monastery at La Cartuja in 1841 by the Pickman family, and now home to the El Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC), which manages the collections of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Sevilla. It also houses the rectory of the UNIA. In the years that Queen
Isabel II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successio ...
ruled directly, about 1843–1868, the Sevillian bourgeoisie invested in a construction boom unmatched in the city's history. The Isabel II bridge, better known as the Triana bridge, dates from this period; street lighting was expanded in the municipality and most of the streets were paved during this time as well.Diego A. Cardoso Bueno: ''Sevilla. El Casco Antiguo. Historia, Arte y Urbanismo''. Ediciones Guadalquivir (2006). . Consultado el 24 March 2010 By the second half of the 19th century, Seville had begun an expansion supported by railway construction and the demolition of part of its ancient walls, allowing the urban space of the city to grow eastward and southward. The ''Sevillana de Electricidad'' Company was created in 1894 to provide electric power throughout the municipality, and in 1901 the ''Plaza de Armas'' railway station was inaugurated. The Museum of Fine Arts ''(Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla)'' opened in 1904. In 1929 the city hosted the Ibero-American Exposition, which accelerated the southern expansion of the city and created new public spaces such as the Plaza de España and the Maria Luisa Park. Not long before the opening, the Spanish government began a modernisation of the city in order to prepare for the expected crowds by erecting new hotels and widening the mediaeval streets to allow for the movement of automobiles. Seville fell very quickly at the beginning of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
in 1936. General
Queipo de Llano Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra (5 February 1875 – 9 March 1951) was a Spanish military leader who rose to prominence during the July 1936 coup and then the Spanish Civil War and the White Terror. Biography A career army man, Queipo de Llan ...
carried out a coup within the city, quickly capturing the city centre.''The Spanish Civil War'', Hugh Thomas, Penguin, 1961, pp. 221–223, Radio Seville opposed the uprising and called for the peasants to come to the city for arms, while workers' groups established barricades. Queipo then moved to capture Radio Seville, which he used to broadcast propaganda on behalf of the Francoist forces. After the initial takeover of the city, resistance continued among residents of the working-class neighbourhoods for some time, until a series of fierce reprisals took place. Under Francisco Franco's rule Spain was officially neutral in World War II (although it did collaborate with the Axis powers), and like the rest of the country, Seville remained largely economically and culturally isolated from the outside world. In 1953 the shipyard of Seville was opened, eventually employing more than 2,000 workers in the 1970s. Before the existence of wetlands regulation in the Guadalquivir basin, Seville suffered regular heavy flooding; perhaps worst of all were the floods that occurred in November 1961 when the River Tamarguillo, a tributary of the Guadalquivir, overflowed as a result of a prodigious downpour of rain, and Seville was consequently declared a disaster zone. Trade unionism in Seville began during the 1960s with the underground organisational activities of the Workers' Commissions or Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), in factories such as Hytasa, the Astilleros shipyards, Hispano Aviación, etc. Several of the movement's leaders were imprisoned in November 1973.


Recent developments

On 3 April 1979 Spain held its first democratic municipal elections after the end of Franco's dictatorship; councillors representing four different political parties were elected in Seville. On 5 November 1982, Pope John Paul II arrived in Seville to officiate at a Mass before more than half a million people at the fairgrounds. He visited the city again on 13 June 1993, for the International Eucharistic Congress. In 1992, coinciding with the fifth centenary of the Discovery of the Americas, the
Universal Exposition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
was held for six months in Seville, on the occasion of which the local communications network and urban infrastructure was greatly improved under a 1987 PGOU plan launched by Mayor Manuel del Valle: the SE-30 ring road around the city was completed and new highways were constructed; the new
Seville-Santa Justa railway station Seville-Santa Justa railway station is the major railway station of the Spanish city of Seville, Andalusia. It was opened in 1991
had opened in 1991, while the Spanish High-Speed Rail system, the '' Alta Velocidad Española'' (AVE), began to operate between Madrid-Seville. The Seville Airport was expanded with a new terminal building designed by the architect Rafael Moneo, and various other improvements were made. The
Alamillo Bridge The Alamillo Bridge ( es, Puente del Alamillo) is a structure in Seville, Andalucia (Spain), which spans the Canal de Alfonso XIII, allowing access to La Cartuja, a peninsula located between the canal and the Guadalquivir River. The bridge was co ...
and the Centenario Bridge, both crossing over the Guadalquivir, also were built for the occasion. Some of the installations remaining at the site after the exposition were converted into the Scientific and Technological Park
Cartuja 93 The Cartuja 93 park is a technological and scientific complex located in Seville, in the ''Isla de la Cartuja'', next to the Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas. It started in 1993 to exploit the showground and buildings inherited from the 1992 ...
. In 2004 the Metropol Parasol project, commonly known as ''Las Setas'' (''The Mushrooms''), due to the appearance of the structure, was launched to revitalise the Plaza de la Encarnación, for years used as a car park and seen as a dead spot between more popular tourist destinations in the city. The Metropol Parasol was completed in March 2011, costing just over €102 million in total, more than twice as much as originally planned. Constructed from crossed wooden beams, ''Las Setas'' is said to be the largest timber-framed structure in the world.


Geography and climate


Location

Seville has an area of , according to the National Topographic Map ''(Mapa Topográfico Nacional)'' series from the ''Instituto Geográfico Nacional – Centro Nacional de Información Geográfica'', the country's civilian survey organisation (pages 984, 985 and 1002). The city is situated in the fertile valley of the River Guadalquivir. The average height above sea level is . Most of the city is on the east side of the river, while Triana, La Cartuja and Los Remedios are on the west side. The Aljarafe region lies further west, and is considered part of the metropolitan area. The city has boundaries on the north with
La Rinconada La Rinconada is a municipality located in the province of Seville, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2020 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instit ...
,
La Algaba La Algaba is a Spanish municipality in the province of Seville, Andalusia, with a population of around 16,000. It belongs to the region of La Vega, 7 km from the provincial capital, Seville. The town dates back to the Byzantine Empire, and ha ...
and Santiponce; on the east with Alcalá de Guadaira; on the south with Dos Hermanas and Gelves and on the west with
San Juan de Aznalfarache San Juan de Aznalfarache is a city located in the Seville (province), province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2006 census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the city has a population of 20,121 inhabitants. Despite being a s ...
,
Tomares Tomares is a municipality in Andalusia, southern Spain. It is a Seville suburb of over 25,000 inhabitants situated two kilometers west of Triana District of Seville, separated from the city by River Guadalquivir. It is surrounded by other mu ...
and Camas. Seville is on the same parallel as United States west coast city San Jose in central California. São Miguel, the main island of the Azores archipelago, lies on the same latitude. Further east from Seville in the Mediterranean Basin, it is on the same latitude as Catania in Sicily, Italy and just south of
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
, the capital of
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. Beyond that, it is located on the same parallel as South Korean capital, Seoul. Seville is located inland, not very far from the Andalusian coast, but still sees a much more continental climate than the nearest port cities, Cádiz and Huelva. Its distance from the sea makes summers in Sevilla much hotter than along the coastline.


Climate

Seville has a Mediterranean climate (
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Csa''), featuring very hot, dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall. Seville has an annual average of . The annual average temperature is during the day and at night. Seville is located in the lower part of the Guadalquivir Valley, which is often referred to as "the frying pan of Spain", as it features the hottest cities in the country. Seville is the warmest city in Continental Europe. It is also the hottest major metropolitan area in Europe, with summer average high temperatures of above and also the hottest in Spain. After the city of Córdoba (also in Andalusia), Seville has the hottest summer in continental Europe among all cities with a population over 100,000 people, with average daily highs of in July. Temperatures above are not uncommon in summer. The hottest temperature extreme of was registered by the weather station at Seville Airport on 23 July 1995 while the coldest temperature extreme of was also registered by the airport weather station on 12 February 1956. A historical record high (disputed) of was recorded on 4 August 1881, according to the NOAA Satellite and Information Service. There is an unaccredited record by the National Institute of Meteorology of 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 former US San Pablo Air Force Base. This temperature would be one of the highest ever recorded in Spain, yet it hasn't been officially confirmed. The average sunshine hours in Seville are approximately 3000 per year. Snowfall is virtually unknown, and the last important snowfall occurred in 1954. Since the year 1500, only 10 snowfalls have been recorded/reported in Seville. During the 20th century, Seville registered just 2 snowfalls, the last one on 2 February 1954. * Winters are mild: December and January are the coolest months, with average maximum temperatures around and minimums of . * Summers are very hot: July and August are the hottest months, with average maximum temperatures around and minimums of . *
Precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
varies from and there are around 50 rainy days per year, with frequent torrential rain. December is the wettest month, with an average rainfall of .


Government


Municipal government and administration

Seville is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
, the basic level of local government in Spain. The Ayuntamiento is the body charged with the municipal government and administration. The Plenary of the ''ayuntamiento'' is formed by 31 elected municipal councillors, who in turn invest the mayor. The last municipal election took place on 26 May 2019. The current mayor is Antonio Muñoz ( Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), who has held the post since the reign of the previous mayor,
Juan Espadas Juan Espadas Cejas (born 30 September 1966) is a Spanish politician of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Minister of Housing and Planning for the Government of Andalusia from 2008 to 2010 and a senator from 2010 to 2013. F ...
in early 2022.


Regional and provincial capital

Seville is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia, according to Article 4 of the Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia of 2007, and is the capital of the Province of Seville as well. The historical building of the
Palace of San Telmo The Palace of San Telmo ( es, Palacio de San Telmo) is a historical edifice in Seville, southern Spain, formerly the ''Universidad de Mareantes'' (a university for navigators), now is the seat of the presidency of the Andalusian Autonomous Governm ...
is now the seat of the presidency of the
Andalusian Autonomous Government The Regional Government of Andalusia ( es, Junta de Andalucía) is the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Regional Government and the Government Council. The 2011 budget was 31. ...
. The administrative headquarters are in Torre Triana, in La Cartuja. The
Hospital de las Cinco Llagas The Hospital de las Cinco Llagas (literally "Hospital of the Five Wounds") in Seville, Spain is the current seat of the Parliament of Andalusia. History Construction of the building began in 1546, as a legacy of Don Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera, ...
(literally, "Hospital of the Five Holy Wounds") is the current seat of the Parliament of Andalusia.


Districts and neighbourhoods

The municipal administration is decentralized into 11 districts, further divided into 108 neighbourhoods. * Casco Antiguo * Distrito Sur * Triana * Macarena *
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* Los Remedios * Este-Alcosa-Torreblanca * Cerro-Amate *
Bellavista-La Palmera 200px, Bellavista-La Palmera (red) within Seville (yellow). Bellavista-La Palmera is a district of the city of Seville, the regional capital of the Spanish region of Andalusia. It is situated on the eastern bank of the Guadalquivir river, to the s ...
* San Pablo-Santa Justa


Main sights

Seville is a big tourist centre in Spain. In 2018, there were over 2.5 million travellers and tourists who stayed at a tourist accommodation, placing it third in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. The city has an overall low level of seasonality, so there are tourists year-round. There are many landmarks, museums, parks, gardens and other kinds of tourist spots around the city so there is something for everyone. The Alcázar, the
Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
, and the '' Archivo General de Indias'' (General Archive of the Indies) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.


Landmarks

The St. Mary of the See Cathedral was built from 1401 to 1519 after the ''
Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...
'' on the former site of the city's mosque. It is among the largest of all medieval and
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
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. La Giralda is a tower attached to the Cathedral that dates back to the twelfth century. It was originally built as part of a mosque when the Moors ruled in Spain and was later added onto by the Christians. Tourists today can climb the tower by walking up a series of ramps that were previously used by officials who rode their horses to the top of the tower. The overall tower construction is consistent with Roman lighthouse construction methods such as with the
Tower of Hercules The Tower of Hercules ( es, Torre de Hércules) is the oldest existent lighthouse known. It has an ancient Roman origin on a peninsula about from the centre of A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spain. Until the 20th century, it was known as ...
(circa 2nd century CE) built on the northwest coast of Spain. La Giralda gets its name from the weathervane attached to the very top of it, as "gira" means "turning one" in the Spanish language. The '' Alcázar'' facing the cathedral was developed from a previous Moorish Palace which was developed from a Visigoth establishment which was itself developed from an existing Roman construction. The redevelopment was started in 1181 and continued for over 500 years, mainly in the Mudéjar style, but also in the Renaissance style. The TV show Game of Thrones has shot many scenes at this location. The '' Church of Saint Louis of France'', located in the historic district of Seville represents an example of Baroque architecture in the 18th century. The '' Torre del Oro'' was built as a watchtower and defensive barrier on the river. The river was used as a mode of defense. A chain was strung through the water from the base of the tower to prevent boats from traveling into the river port. The City Hall was built in the 16th century in high Plateresque style by master architect Diego de Riaño. The façade to Plaza Nueva was built in the 19th century in Neoclassical style. The
Palacio de San Telmo The Palace of San Telmo ( es, Palacio de San Telmo) is a historical edifice in Seville, southern Spain, formerly the ''Universidad de Mareantes'' (a university for navigators), now is the seat of the presidency of the Andalusian Autonomous Governm ...
, formerly the University of Sailors, and later the Seminary, is now the seat for the
Andalusian Autonomous Government The Regional Government of Andalusia ( es, Junta de Andalucía) is the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Regional Government and the Government Council. The 2011 budget was 31. ...
. It is one of the most emblematic buildings of baroque architecture, mainly to its world-renowned churrigueresque principal façade and the impressive chapel. The
Royal Tobacco Factory The Royal Tobacco Factory ( es, Real Fábrica de Tabacos) is an 18th-century stone building in Seville, southern Spain. Since the 1950s it has been the seat of the rectorate of the University of Seville. Prior to that, it was, as its name indicat ...
is housed on the original site of the first tobacco factory in Europe, a vast 18th-century building in Baroque style and the purported inspiration for the opera ''Carmen''. The '' Metropol Parasol'', in La Encarnación square, is the world's largest wooden structure. A monumental umbrella-like building designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer, finished in 2011. This modern architecture structure houses the central market and an underground archaeological complex. The terrace roof is a city viewpoint. The General Archive of the Indies, is the repository of extremely valuable archival documents illustrating the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the Philippines. The building itself, an unusually serene and Italianate example of Spanish Renaissance architecture, was designed by Juan de Herrera. The '' Plaza de España'' in the ''
Parque de María Luisa The Parque de María Luisa (María Luisa Park) is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir River in Seville, Spain. It is Seville's principal green area. History Most of the grounds that were used for the park were formerly the garde ...
'' (María Luisa Park) was built by the architect Aníbal González for the 1929 Exposición Ibero-Americana. It is an outstanding example of Regionalist Revival Architecture, a bizarre and loftily conceived mixture of diverse historic styles, such as Art Deco and lavishly ornamented with typical glazed tiles. The Moorish urban influences continued and are present in contemporary Seville, for instance in the custom of decorating with plants and small fountains in the courtyards of the houses. However, most buildings of the Moorish aesthetic actually belong to the Mudéjar style of Islamic art, developed under Christian rule and inspired by the Arabic style. Original Moorish buildings are the ''Patio del Yeso'' in the Alcázar, the city walls, and the main section of the
Giralda The Giralda ( es, La Giralda ) is the bell tower of Seville Cathedral in Seville, Spain. It was built as the minaret for the Great Mosque of Seville in al-Andalus, Moorish Spain, during the reign of the Almohad dynasty, with a Renaissance-style ...
, the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral. The neighbourhood of '' Triana'', situated on the west bank of the River Guadalquivir, had an important role in the history of the city and constitutes by itself a folk, monumental and cultural centre. On the other hand, ''
La Macarena "Macarena" is a dance song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, about a woman of the same name. The song uses a type of clave rhythm. Originally appearing on the 1993 album '' A mí me gusta'', a subsequent remix by Miami-based producers The Baysi ...
'' neighbourhood is located on the northern side of the city centre. It contains some important monuments and religious buildings, such as the Museum and Catholic Church of ''La Macarena'' or the ''
Hospital de las Cinco Llagas The Hospital de las Cinco Llagas (literally "Hospital of the Five Wounds") in Seville, Spain is the current seat of the Parliament of Andalusia. History Construction of the building began in 1546, as a legacy of Don Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera, ...
''.


Museums

The most important art collection of Seville is the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville. It was established in 1835 in the former Convent of ''La Merced''. It holds many masterworks by Murillo, Pacheco, Zurbarán,
Valdés Leal Valdez or Valdés may refer to: People *Valdez (surname) *Valdés (surname) *Valdez (Brazilian footballer) (born 1943), Brazilian footballer *Val Demings, Valdez “Val” Demings, U.S. politician Geography *Valdés, Asturias, Spain *Valdez, Alas ...
, and others masters of the Baroque Sevillian School, containing also Flemish paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries. Other museums in Seville are: * The Archaeological Museum, which contains collections from the Tartessian,
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
and some of Almohad and Christian periods, located in ''América'' square at the ''
Parque de María Luisa The Parque de María Luisa (María Luisa Park) is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir River in Seville, Spain. It is Seville's principal green area. History Most of the grounds that were used for the park were formerly the garde ...
'' (María Luisa Park). * The Museum of Arts and Traditions, also in América Square, in front of the Archaeological Museum. * The Andalusian Contemporary Art Centre, situated in the neighbourhood of La Cartuja. * The Naval Museum, housed in the golden Torre del Oro, next to the River Guadalquivir. * The Carriages Museum, in the Los Remedios neighbourhood. * The
Flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...
Art Museum * The Bullfighting Museum, in the La Maestranza bullring * The Palace of the Countess of Lebrija, a private collection that contains many of the mosaic floors discovered in the nearby Roman town of Italica. * The ''Centro Velázquez'' (Velázquez Centre) located at the Old Priests Hospital in the touristic Santa Cruz neighbourhood. * The ''Antiquarium'' in Metropol Parasol, an underground museum which is composed of the most important archaeological site of the ancient Roman stage of Seville and remains preserved. * The '' Castillo de San Jorge'' (Castle of St. George) is situated near the Triana market, next to the Isabel II bridge. It was the last seat for the Spanish Inquisition. * The Museum and Treasure of ''La Macarena'', where the collection of the Macarena brotherhood is exhibited. This exhibition gives visitors an accurate impression of Seville's Holy Week. * '' La Casa de la Ciencia'' (The House of Science), a science centre and museum opposite the María Luisa Park. * Museum of Pottery in Triana. * ''Pabellon de la Navegación'' (Pavilion of Navigation).


Parks and gardens

* The ''
Parque de María Luisa The Parque de María Luisa (María Luisa Park) is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir River in Seville, Spain. It is Seville's principal green area. History Most of the grounds that were used for the park were formerly the garde ...
'' (María Luisa Park), is a monumental park built for the 1929 World's Fair held in Seville, the Exposición Ibero-Americana. The so-called ''Jardines de las Delicias'' (literally, Delighting Gardens), closer to the river, are part of the ''Parque de María Luisa''. * The Alcázar Gardens, within the grounds of the '' Alcázar'' palace, consist of several sectors developed in different historical styles. * The Gardens of Murillo and the Gardens of Catalina de Ribera, both along and outside the South wall of the Alcázar, lie next to the ''Santa Cruz'' quarter. * The ''Parque del Alamillo y San Jerónimo'', the largest park in Andalusia, was originally built for Seville Expo '92 to reproduce the Andalusian native flora. It lines both Guadalquivir shores around the ''San Jerónimo'' meander. The 32-metres-high bronze sculpture, '' The Birth of a New Man'' (popularly known as Columbus's Egg, ''el Huevo de Colón''), by the Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, is located in its northwestern sector. * The American Garden, also completed for Expo '92, is in La Cartuja. It is a public botanical garden, with a representative collection of American plants donated by different countries on the occasion of the world exposition. Despite its extraordinary botanical value, it remains a mostly abandoned place. * The Buhaira Gardens, also historically known as the ''Huerta del Rey'', are a public park and historic site, originally created as a garden estate during the Almohad period (12th century).


Culture


Theaters

The Teatro Lope de Vega is located on Avenida de María Luisa avenue (next to ''
Parque de María Luisa The Parque de María Luisa (María Luisa Park) is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir River in Seville, Spain. It is Seville's principal green area. History Most of the grounds that were used for the park were formerly the garde ...
''). It was built in 1929, being its architect
Vicente Traver y Tomás Vicente Traver y Tomás (23 September 1888 – 15 November 1966) was a Spanish architect. His most notable works were constructed in Seville between 1915 and 1933. Biography Vicente Traver y Tomás was born in Castellón de la Plana on 23 Septe ...
. It was the auditorium of the pavilion of the city in the Ibero-American Exhibition. This pavilion had a large room that became the Casino of the Exhibition. The theater occupied an area of 4600 m2 and could accommodate 1100 viewers. Its architecture is Spanish Baroque Revival, being the building faithful to this style both in the set and in its ornamentation. It has hosted varied performances, including theater, dance, opera,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, and
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...
and nowadays the most outstanding of the panorama is its programming national and international, becoming one of the most important theaters in Spain. Others important theatres are
Teatro de la Maestranza The Teatro de la Maestranza is an opera house located in Seville, Spain. The theatre was conceived to be one of the main cultural venues of the Seville Expo '92, and the first performance took place in 1991, shortly before the inauguration of th ...
, Auditorio Rocío Jurado and Teatro Central. Seville also has a corral de comedias theatre, which is the
Corral del Coliseo A pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. It may also perhaps be used as a term for an enclosure for other animals such as pets that are unwanted inside the house. The term describes types of enclosures that may confine one or many anima ...
, now used as a residential building.


Festivals

There are many entertainment options around the city of Seville and one of its biggest attractions is the numerous festivals that happen around the year. Some of the festivals concentrate on religion and culture, others focus on the folklore of the area, traditions, and entertainment.


Holy Week in Seville

Semana Santa is celebrated all over Spain and Latin America, but the celebration in Seville is large and well known as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest. 54 local brotherhoods, or "cofradías", organize floats and processions throughout the week, reenacting the story of the Passion of Christ. There is traditional music and art incorporated into the processions, making Semana Santa an important source of both material and immaterial Sevillian cultural identity.


Bienal de Flamenco

Seville is home to the bi-annual flamenco festival La Bienal, which claims to be "the biggest flamenco event worldwide" and lasts for nearly a month.


Velá de Santiago y Santa Ana

In the district of Triana, the Velá de Santiago y Santa Ana is held every July and includes sporting events, performances, and cultural activities as the city honors St. James and St. Ana.


Feria de Abril

The April Fair (''Feria de Abril'') is a huge celebration that takes place in Seville about two weeks after the Holy Week. It was previously associated with celebrating livestock; however, nowadays its purpose is to create a fun cheerful environment tied to the appreciation of the Spanish folklore. During the Feria, families, businesses, and organisations set up ''casetas'' ( marquees) in which they spend the week dancing, drinking, and socialising. Traditionally, women wear elaborate
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...
dresses and men dress in their best suits. The marquees are set up on a permanent fairground in the district of Los Remedios, in which each street is named after a famous bullfighter.


Salón Náutico Internacional de Sevilla

The International Boat Show of Seville is an annual event that takes place in the only indoor maritime port of the country, which is one of the most important in Europe.


Music

Seville had a vibrant rock music scene in the 1970s and 1980s with bands like Triana,
Alameda An alameda is a street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada * Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan ** Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile * Alameda (Santia ...
and Smash, who fused Andalusia's traditional
flamenco music Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura an ...
with British-style progressive rock. The punk rock group
Reincidentes Reincidentes is a Spanish rock music, rock/punk rock band. They were formed in the 1980s as ''Incidente Local'', by Manuel Pizarro on drums, Juan Barea on guitar, and Fernando Medina on bass and vocals. They performed their first live concert in ...
and indie band Sr Chinarro, as well as singer
Kiko Veneno José María López Sanfeliu (born April 3, 1952), better known by his stage name Kiko Veneno, is a Spanish musician. Biography He was born in Figueres, where he was brought up in a military home, and later grew up in Cádiz finally settling dow ...
, rose to prominence in the early 1990s. The city's music scene now features rap acts such as SFDK, Mala Rodríguez, Dareysteel,
Tote King Tote King is a hip hop emcee (MC) from Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Gu ...
, Dogma Crew, Bisley DeMarra, Haze and Jesuly. Seville's diverse music scene is reflected in the variety of its club-centred nightlife. The city is also home to many theatres and performance spaces where classical music is performed, including Teatro Lope de Vega, Teatro La Maestranza, Teatro Central, the
Real Alcazar Gardens Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (201 ...
and the Sala Joaquín Turina. Despite its name, the
sevillana ''Sevillanas'' () are a type of folk music and dance of Sevilla and its region. They were derived from the Seguidilla, an old Castilian folk music and dance genre. In the nineteenth century they were influenced by Flamenco. They have a relat ...
dance, commonly presented as
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...
, is not thought to be of Sevillan origin. However, the folksongs called '' sevillanas'' are authentically Sevillan, as is the four-part dance performed with them.


Flamenco

The Triana district in Seville is considered a birthplace of flamenco, where it found its beginning as an expression of the poor and marginalized. Seville's Gypsy population, known as Flamencos, were instrumental in the development of the art form. While it began as and remains a representation of Andalusian culture, it has also become a national heritage symbol of Spain. There are more flamenco artists in Seville than anywhere else in the country, supporting an entire industry surrounding it and drawing in a significant amount of tourism for the city.


Gastronomy

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 on small plates used to cover drinks). Local specialities include fried and grilled seafood (including squid, ''choco'' ( cuttlefish), swordfish, marinated dogfish, and '' ortiguillas''), grilled and stewed meat, spinach with chickpeas, ''
Jamón ibérico ''Jamón ibérico'' (; pt, presunto ibérico ), " Iberian ham" is a variety of ''jamón'' or ''presunto'', a type of cured leg of pork produced in Spain and, to a lesser extent, Portugal. Description According to Spain's '' denominaci� ...
'', lamb kidneys in sherry sauce, snails, '' caldo de puchero'', and '' gazpacho''. A sandwich known as a '' serranito'' is the typical and popular version of fast food. Typical desserts from Seville include ''pestiños'', a honey-coated sweet fritter; ''torrijas'', fried slices of bread with honey; ''roscos fritos'', deep-fried sugar-coated ring doughnuts; ''magdalenas'' or fairy cakes; ''yemas de San Leandro'', which provide the city's
convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...
s with a source of revenue; and ''
tortas de aceite Torta de aceite, is a light, crisp and flaky sweet biscuit in the shape of a torta. The main ingredients are wheat flour, olive oil, almonds, sugar, sesame seed Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesa ...
'', a thin sugar-coated cake made with olive oil. ''Polvorones'' and ''mantecados'' are traditional Christmas products, whereas ''pestiños'' and ''torrijas'' are typically consumed during the Holy Week. Bitter Seville oranges grow on trees lining the city streets. Large quantities are collected and exported to Britain to be used in marmalade. Locally, the fruit is used predominantly in aromatherapy, herbal medicine, and dietary diet products, rather than as a foodstuff. According to legend, the Arabs brought the bitter orange to Seville from East Asia via Iraq around the 10th century to beautify and perfume their patios and gardens, as well as to provide shade. The flowers of the tree are a source of neroli oil, commonly used in perfumery and in skin lotions for massage. In 2021, the municipal water company, Emasesa, began a pilot scheme to use the methane produced as the fruit ferments to generate clean electricity. The company plans to use 35 tonnes of fruit to generate clean energy to power one of the city's water purification plants.


Economy

Seville is the most populated city in southern Spain, and has the largest GDP (gross domestic product) of any in Andalusia, accounting for one-quarter of its total GDP. All municipalities in the metropolitan area depend directly or indirectly on Seville's economy, while agriculture dominates the economy of the smaller villages, with some industrial activity localised in industrial parks. The ''Diputación de Sevilla'' (Deputation of Seville), with provincial headquarters in the Antiguo Cuartel de Caballería (Old Cavalry Barracks) on Avenida Menendez Pelayo, provides public services to distant villages that they can not provide themselves. 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 neighbourhoods such as Santa Cruz, Triana and others, those further away from the centre, such as
Nervión , name_etymology = , image = Nervion.jpg , image_size = 300px , image_caption = River Nervion with Zubizuri footbridge. , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map ...
, Sevilla Este, and El Porvenir have seen recent economic growth. Until the economic crisis of 2007, this urban area saw significant population growth and the development of new industrial and commercial parks. During this period, availability of infrastructure in the city contributed to the growth of an economy dominated by the service sector, but in which industry still holds a considerable place.


Infrastructure

The 1990s saw massive growth in investment in infrastructure in Seville, largely due to its hosting of the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992. This economic development of the city and its urban area is supported by good transportation links to other Spanish cities, including a high-speed AVE railway connection to Madrid, and a new international
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
. Seville has the only inland port in Spain, located from the mouth of the River Guadalquivir. This harbour 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.
Cartuja 93 The Cartuja 93 park is a technological and scientific complex located in Seville, in the ''Isla de la Cartuja'', next to the Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas. It started in 1993 to exploit the showground and buildings inherited from the 1992 ...
is a research and development park. employing 15,000 persons. The ''Parque Tecnológico y Aeronáutico Aerópolis'' (Technological and Aeronautical Park) is focused on the aircraft industry. Outside of Seville are nine PS20 solar power towers which use the city's sunny weather to provide most of it with clean and renewable energy. The
Sevilla Tower The Sevilla Tower ( es, Torre Sevilla), known until 2015 as the Pelli Tower, is an office skyscraper in Seville, Spain. Its construction started in March 2008 and was completed in 2015. The tower is tall and has 40 Storey, floors. It is an offi ...
skyscraper was started in March 2008 and was completed in 2015. With a height of and 40 floors, it's the tallest building in Andalusia. Seville has conference facilities, including the Conference and Convention Centre.


Research and development

The ''Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas en Sevilla'' (CSIC) is based in the former Pavilion of Peru in the Maria Luisa Park. In April 2008 the city council of Seville provided a grant to renovate the building to create the '' Casa de la Ciencia'' (Science Centre) to encourage popular interest in science. The internationally recognised company ''Neocodex'' has its headquarters in Seville; it maintains the first and largest
DNA bank DNA banking is the secure, long term storage of an individual’s genetic material. DNA is most commonly extracted from blood, but can also be obtained from saliva and other tissues. DNA banks allow for conservation of genetic material and com ...
in Spain and has made significant contributions to scientific research in genetics. Seville is also considered an important technological and research centre for renewable energy and the aeronautics industry. The output of the research centres in Sevillan universities working in tandem with city government, and the numerous local technology companies, have made Seville a leader among Spanish cities in technological research and development. The ''Parque Científico Tecnológico Cartuja 93'' is a nexus of private and public investment in various fields of research. Principal fields of innovation and research are telecommunications, new technologies, biotechnology (with applications in local agricultural practices), environment and renewable energy.


Transport


Bus

Seville is served by the TUSSA
(Transportes Urbanos de Sevilla)
bus network which runs buses throughout the city. The Consorcio de Transportes de Sevilla communicates by bus with all the satellite towns of Seville. Two bus stations serve transportation between surrounding areas and other cities: ''Plaza de Armas'' Station, with destinations north and west, and ''Prado de San Sebastián'' Station, covering routes to the south and east. ''Plaza de Armas'' station has direct bus lines to many Spanish cities as well as Lisbon, Portugal.


Metro

The Seville metro ("Metro de Sevilla" in Spanish) is a light metro network serving the city of Seville and its metropolitan area. The system is totally independent of any other rail or street traffic. All stations were built with platform screen doors. It was the sixth Metro system to be built in Spain, after those in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Palma de Mallorca. Currently, it is the fifth-biggest Metro company in Spain by the number of passengers carried (more than 12,000,000 in 2009). The metro of Sevilla has 1 line with 22 stations and is currently expanding, with 3 more different lines projected.


Tram

MetroCentro Metrocentro is a Salvadoran shopping mall chain in Central America. History and organisation Metrocentro is owned by Grupo Roble, which is based in San Salvador, El Salvador. The shopping mall Metrocentro in San Salvador is the largest shop ...
is a surface tramway serving the centre of the city. It began operating in October 2007. The service has just five stops: Plaza Nueva, Archivo de Indias, Puerta de Jerez, Prado de San Sebastián and San Bernardo, all as part of ''Phase I'' of the project. It is expected to be extended to Santa Justa AVE station, including four new stops: San Francisco Javier, Eduardo Dato, Luis de Morales, and Santa Justa. This extension was postponed although the City Council had made expanding the metro lines a priority.


Train

The
Seville-Santa Justa railway station Seville-Santa Justa railway station is the major railway station of the Spanish city of Seville, Andalusia. It was opened in 1991
is served by the AVE high-speed rail system, operated by the Spanish state-owned rail company Renfe. A five-line commuter rail service ('' Cercanías'') joins the city with the Metropolitan area. Seville is on the Red Ciudades AVE, a net created with Seville connected to 17 major cities of Spain with high-speed rail. Although Seville is close to the Portuguese city of Faro, it is not possible to cross the border by train.


Bicycle

The
Sevici Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...
community bicycle program A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bo ...
has integrated bicycles into the public transport network. Bicycles are available for hire around the city at low cost, and green curb-raised bicycle lanes can be seen on most major streets. The number of people using bicycles as a means of transport in Seville has increased substantially in recent years, multiplying tenfold from 2006 to 2011. , an estimated 9 percent of all mechanized trips in the city (and 5.6 percent of all trips including those on foot) are made by bicycle. The city council signed a contract with the multinational corporation JCDecaux, an outdoor advertising company. The public bicycle rental system is financed by a local advertising operator in return for the city signing over a 10-year licence to exploit citywide billboards. The overall scheme is called Cyclocity by JCDecaux, but each city's system is branded under an individual name. As of 2022, some companies in the
e-bike An electric bicycle (e-bike, eBike, etc.) is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assist ...
community bicycle program A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bo ...
industry such as Lime (transportation company) and Ridemovi started working in the city, thanks to the new parking spots made by the City Council of Seville


Airport

The San Pablo Airport is the main airport for Seville and is Andalusia's second busiest airport, after Málaga's, and first in cargo. The airport handled 7,544,357 passengers and just under 9,891 tonnes of cargo in 2019. It has one
terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together * Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devi ...
and one runway. It is one of many bases for the Spanish low-cost carrier
Vueling Vueling S.A. is a Spanish low-cost airline based at El Prat de Llobregat in Greater Barcelona with hubs at Barcelona–El Prat Airport (main), Paris-Orly Airport in Paris, France and Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy (sec ...
, and from November 2010 Ryanair based aircraft at the airport. In addition, Ryanair opened its first aircraft maintenance facility in Spain at Seville Airport in 2019. This enabled low-cost direct flights to several Spanish cities, as well as to the neighbor country of Portugal with weekly flights to Porto and to other European cities.


Port

Seville is the only commercial river port in Spain and the only inland city in the country where cruise ships can arrive in the historical centre. On 21 August 2012, the Muelle de las Delicias, controlled by the Port Authority of Seville, hosted the cruise ship
Azamara Journey ''Azamara Journey'' is an owned and operated by Azamara Club Cruises. Gross register tonnage is 30,277, with a capacity of 694 passengers (double occupancy), plus 390 crew members. She was built in 2000 for Renaissance Cruises as ''R Six''. Af ...
for two days, the largest ship ever to visit the town. This vessel belongs to the shipping company Royal Caribbean and can accommodate up to 700 passengers.


Roads

Seville has one ring road, the SE-30, which connects with the dual carriageway of the south, the A-4, that directly communicates the city with Cádiz, Cordoba and
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
. Also there is another dual carriageway, the A-92, linking the city with
Osuna Osuna () is a town and municipality in the province of Seville, southern Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , it has a population of c. 17,800. It is the location of the Andalusian Social Economy School. Among famous people associ ...
,
Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central loca ...
, Granada, Guadix and Almeria. The A-49 links Seville with Huelva and the Algarve in the south of Portugal.


Public transportation statistics

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Sevilla, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 34 min. 7% of public transit riders, ride for more than two hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is eight minutes, while 15% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is , while 7% travel for over in a single direction.


Education

Seville is home to three public universities. The University of Seville (US), founded in 1505; as of 2019, it had 72,000 students. The
Pablo de Olavide University Pablo de Olavide University (''Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO)'' in Spanish) is a public university in Seville, Spain. UPO offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in the traditional majors, as well as in biotechnology, environmental s ...
(UPO), founded in 1997, with 9,152 students in 2019; and the International University of Andalusia (UNIA), founded in 1994. The US and the UPO are important centres of learning in Western Andalusia as they offer a wide range of academic courses; consequently, the city has a large number of students from Huelva and Cádiz. Additionally, there is the School of Hispanic American Studies, founded in 1942, the Menéndez Pelayo International University, based in Santander, which operates branch campuses in Seville, and Loyola University Andalusia. ;International primary and secondary schools * Lycée Français de Séville (French school) * Deutsche Schule Sevilla (German school) * St. George's British School Seville is also home to many international schools and colleges that cater to American students who come to study abroad.


Sport

Seville is the hometown of two rival association football teams:
Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito ...
Balompié and Sevilla Fútbol Club; both teams play in
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...
. Both teams have only won the league once each: Betis in 1935 and Sevilla in 1946. Only Sevilla has won European competitions, winning consecutive UEFA Cup finals in 2006 and 2007 and the UEFA Europa League in
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
, 2015, 2016 and 2020. The
Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...
and Benito Villamarín, stadiums of Sevilla and Betis respectively, were a venue during the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Also Sevilla's stadium hosted the 1986 European Cup Final and the multi-purpose stadium built in 1999 La Cartuja, was the venue for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Seville has an ACB League basketball club, the Real Betis Baloncesto. Seville has hosted both indoor ( 1991) and outdoor (
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
) World Championships in athletics, while housed the tennis Davis Cup final in 2004 and 2011. The city unsuccessfully bid for the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, for which the 60,000-seat Estadio de La Cartuja was designed to stage. Seville's River Guadalquivir is one of only three FISA approved international training centres for rowing and the only one in Spain; the 2002 World Rowing Championships and the
2013 European Rowing Championships The 2013 European Rowing Championships was held in Seville, Spain, between 31 May and 2 June 2013. Medal summary Men Women Medal table External links * {{European Rowing Championships European Rowing Championships European Rowing Ch ...
were held there.


In fiction

* The picaresque novel '' Rinconete y Cortadillo'' by Miguel de Cervantes takes place in the city of Seville. * The novel '' La Femme et le pantin'' (''The Woman and the Puppet'') (1898) by Pierre Louÿs, adapted for film several times, is set mainly in Seville. * Seville is the setting for the legend of Don Juan (inspired by the real aristocrat Don Miguel de Mañara) on the Paseo Alcalde Marqués de Contadero. * Seville is the primary setting of many operas, the best known of which are
Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', which has become on ...
's '' Carmen'' (based on Mérimée's novella), Rossini's '' The Barber of Seville'', Verdi's '' La forza del destino'',
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
's ''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, ...
'', Mozart's '' Don Giovanni'' and '' The Marriage of Figaro'', and Prokofiev's '' Betrothal in a Monastery''. * Seville is the setting of the novel ''The Seville Communion'' by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. * Seville is both the location and setting for much of the 1985 '' Doctor Who'' television serial " The Two Doctors". * Seville is also used as one of the locations in Dan Brown's '' Digital Fortress''. * Seville is one of the settings in
Jostein Gaarder Jostein Gaarder (; born 8 August 1952) is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories, and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often ...
's book ''The Orange Girl'' (''Appelsinpiken''). * Seville is the hometown of the two main characters in the 2000 film '' The Road to El Dorado'' by DreamWorks. Miguel and Tulio are con artists that stow away on a ship bound for the New World and win a map for the fabled lost city of gold, El Dorado, and are invariably seen as gods by the locals. * Arthur Koestler's book ''
Spanish Testament ''Spanish Testament'' is a 1937 book by Arthur Koestler, describing his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. Part II of the book was subsequently published on its own, with minor modifications, under the title '' Dialogue with Death'' (see ...
'' is based on the writer's experiences while held in the Seville prison, under a sentence of death, during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
. * Robert Wilson's police novel ''The Hidden Assassins'' (2006) concerns a terrorist incident in Seville and the political context thereof, with much local colour. * The '' Plaza de España'' in the ''Parque de María Luisa'' appears in George Lucas' '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', in '' The Dictator'', starring Sacha Baron Cohen, as the palace of the dictator ''Aladeen'', and in ''
Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
'' as the British Army headquarters in Cairo, while the courtyard was the King Alfonso XIII Hotel. * The ''Plaza of the Americas'' also appeared in ''Lawrence'', substituting for Jerusalem, and in Anthony Mann's '' El Cid''. It also appears as the Palace of Vladek Sheybal's Bashaw in '' The Wind and the Lion'' (1975). * The Alcázar and other sites appear in the television series '' Game of Thrones'', in the cities of Dorne. * In the 2016 film '' Assassin's Creed'', Master Assassins Aguilar de Nerha and Maria escape execution and are pursued by Templars through the city, eventually performing Leaps of Faith off of an unfinished Seville Cathedral to escape. * In '' Mission: Impossible 2'', Ethan Hunt is sent to Seville to recruit Nyah Nordoff-Hall.


In travel writing

* ''The Tomb in Seville'' by Norman Lewis.


Twin towns – sister cities

Seville is twinned with the following cities: * Angers (France), 1989. * Barcelona (Spain), 1987. * Buenos Aires (Argentina), 1976.
Hermanamientos con Latinoamérica
'' (102,91 kB). 9-9-2008/ref> * Columbus, Ohio (United States), 1988. * Córdoba (Spain), 1908. * Guadalajara (Mexico), 1984. *
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
(Cuba), 2007. * Kansas City, Missouri (United States), 1969. The relationship between Seville and Kansas City is due to a small replica of the Giralda tower, Sevilla's cathedral belltower, that exists in Kansas City. * Laredo (Spain), 2017. * Marrakech (Morocco), 2017. *
Medina de Rioseco Medina de Rioseco is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León and Spain. According to a 2011 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 4,967 inhabitants. The city also has th ...
(Spain), 2016. * San Salvador (El Salvador), 2018. * Sevilla la Nueva (Spain). ;Partnerships *
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
(Poland), 2002.


Titles

Seville has been given titles by Spanish monarchs and heads of state throughout its history. * Very Noble, by King Ferdinand III of Castile after his reconquest of the city. * Very Loyal, by King Alfonso X of Castile for supporting him against a rebellion. See also the Motto "NO8DO". * Very Heroic, by King Ferdinand VII of Spain by Royal Document on 13 October 1817 for support against the French invasion. * Invictus (Invincible in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
), by Queen Isabella II of Spain for the city's resistance against General Van Halen's asedium and bombing in 1843. * Mariana, by General Francisco Franco in 1946 for the city's devotion to the Virgin Mary.


Notable people

* Maria Antonietta of Spain, ''
Queen consort of Sardinia This is a list of consorts of the Savoyard monarchs. Countess of Savoy, 1003–1416 Duchess of Savoy, 1416–1713 ;As courtesy title Queen of Sardinia, 1720–1861 Between 1859 and 1861 the Kingdom of Sardinia incorporated the majo ...
'' (1729–1785) * Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, poet and Arabic king of Sevilla 1040–1095 * Physician
Avenzoar Abū Marwān ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Zuhr ( ar, أبو مروان عبد الملك بن زهر), traditionally known by his Latinized name Avenzoar (; 1094–1162), was an Arab physician, surgeon, and poet. He was born at Seville in medieval And ...
* The family of the Arabic historian and sociologist Ibn Khaldun * 13th-century poet Ibn Sahl of Seville * Renaissance composers Cristóbal de Morales,
Francisco Guerrero Francisco Guerrero is the name of: *Francisco Guerrero (composer) (1528–1599), Spanish composer of the Renaissance *Francisco Guerrero (politician) (1811–1851), Alcalde of San Francisco *Francisco Guerrero Marín (1951–1997), Spanish composer ...
* 16th-century novelist Mateo Alemán * Playwrights
Lope de Rueda Lope de Rueda (c.1505<1510–1565) was a Spanish and author, regarded by some as the best of ...
and Hermanos Alvarez Quintero * Historian of New Spain Bartolomé de Las Casas * Colonial governor of La Florida and Cuba:
Laureano de Torres y Ayala Laureano de Torres y Ayala (1645–1722), Marquis of Casa Torres and Knight of Santiago, was a Spanish military officer and royal governor of '' La Florida'' (1693–1699) and of Cuba (1708–1711 and 1713–1716). During his administration in Flo ...
* Colonial governor of La Florida: Pablo de Hita y Salazar * Baroque painters Diego Velázquez,
Valdés Leal Valdez or Valdés may refer to: People *Valdez (surname) *Valdés (surname) *Valdez (Brazilian footballer) (born 1943), Brazilian footballer *Val Demings, Valdez “Val” Demings, U.S. politician Geography *Valdés, Asturias, Spain *Valdez, Alas ...
and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo * Explorer and astronomer
Antonio de Ulloa Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Giralt, FRS, FRSA, KOS (12 January 1716 – 3 July 1795) was a Spanish naval officer, scientist, and administrator. At the age of nineteen, he joined the French Geodesic Mission to what is now the countr ...
* Renaissance poets Fernando de Herrera and Gutierre de Cetina * Notable Costumbrista painter who liked to depict the 19th century society of Seville and its buildings José Jiménez Aranda * Romantic poet
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented ...
* Bullfighters Juan Belmonte, Curro Romero, Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, Emilio Muñoz and
José Gómez Ortega José Gómez Ortega (8 May 1895 – 16 May 1920), commonly known as Joselito (), was a Spanish matador in the early twentieth century. Younger brother of matador de toros Rafael Gómez Ortega ("El Gallo"), Joselito was considered a child pro ...
* Second Spanish Republic Prime Minister Diego Martinez, communist politician José Díaz and Carlist politician Manuel Fal. * 20th-century poets: ** Vicente Aleixandre ( Nobel Laureate) ** Antonio and Manuel Machado ** Luis Cernuda ** Jose Julio Cabanillas Serrano continuing in the 21st–century * Composer Joaquín Turina * Cartoonist
William Haselden William Kerridge Haselden (3December 187225December 1953) was an English cartoonist and caricaturist. He was the second of five children of Adolphe Henry Haselden and his wife Susan Elizabeth (née Kerridge). Haselden's parents were both Engl ...
* Actors
Juan Diego Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, also known as Juan Diego (; 1474–1548), was a Chichimec peasant and Marian visionary. He is said to have been granted apparitions of the Virgin Mary on four occasions in December 1531: three at the hill of Tepeyac an ...
,
Paco León Francisco León Barrios (born 4 October 1974), known as Paco León () is a Spanish actor, producer, director, screenwriter and activist. Born in Seville, León began his career in television comedy roles in Andalusian regional productions. Follow ...
* Actresses Soledad Miranda,
Verónica Sánchez Verónica Sánchez Calderón (born 1 July 1977) is a Spanish actress. She made her debut in theatre in 1996, and came to media attention as Eva Capdevila in the Telecinco series ''Los Serrano'' in 2003. Sánchez has since developed a successful f ...
,
Carmen Sevilla María del Carmen García Galisteo (born 16 October 1930), in Seville, Spain, known professionally as Carmen Sevilla, is a retired Spanish actress, singer and dancer. She began her career in the 1940s and became one of the most popular and hi ...
,
Paz Vega María de la Paz Campos Trigos (born 2 January 1976), known professionally as Paz Vega (), is a Spanish actress. She became popular for her performance in comedy television series '' 7 vidas''. Her film credits include ''Sex and Lucia'' (2001) ...
, Azucena Hernández * Models **
Teresa Sánchez López Teresa Sánchez (born July 1, 1964 in Seville) is a Spanish model, who won the title of Miss National in the Miss Spain contest at 1984 and represented Spain at Miss Universe 1985 where she finished as 1st Runner-Up. Biography Sánchez Ló ...
who won the title of Miss National in the Miss Spain contest 1984 and, representing Spain, was close to the crown of Miss Universe in 1985 (1st runner up). ** Eva Maria González beauty queen and model who was Miss España 2003 (representing Andalusia) * Singers Isabel Pantoja,
Juanita Reina Juana Reina Castrillo (August 25, 1925 in Seville – March 19, 1999 in Seville) better known as Juanita Reina, was a Spanish actress and copla singer. She was born in the Sevillian district, la Macarena, Seville and studied in Enrique el ...
, Lole y Manuel,
Paquita Rico Francisca Rico Martínez (13 October 1929 – 9 July 2017), better known as Paquita Rico, was a Spanish film actress and singer. She appeared in 30 films between 1948 and 1983. She starred in the film ''Let's Make the Impossible!'', which w ...
, El Caracol, Falete, Pastora Soler, and Mala Rodríguez * Comedian
Manuel Summers Manuel Summers Rivero (26 March 1935 – 12 June 1993) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography Father of David Summers Rodríguez leading singer of Pop group Hombres G and of Cheyenne Summers, Spanish voice actress, ...
* Navy officer Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios who became Captain General of the
Spanish Republican Navy The Spanish Republican Navy was the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. History In the same manner as the other two branches of the Spanish Republ ...
* Association footballers José Antonio Reyes, Fernando "Nando" Muñoz, Ricardo Serna, Sergio Ramos,
Jesús Navas Jesús Navas González (; born 21 November 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right winger or a right-back for La Liga club Sevilla. He has spent the vast majority of his career with Sevilla, playing 605 official matches ...
, Antonio Puerta,
Carlos Marchena Carlos Marchena López (; born 31 July 1979) is a Spanish retired footballer, and a manager. Mainly a central defender with an aggressive approach, he also played as a defensive midfielder. Most of his professional career (nine years) was spen ...
, Jesús Capitán "Capi" * Olympic swimmer Fátima Madrid * Politicians
Felipe González Felipe González Márquez (; born 5 March 1942) is a Spanish lawyer, professor, and politician, who was the Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997, and the 3rd Prime Minister of Spain since th ...
, President of the Government of Spain from 1982 to 1996, and Alfonso Guerra, vice-president from 1982 to 1991 * Maria Pages, dancer * Jairo Barrull Fernández, Spanish Gypsy flamenco dancer *
El Risitas Juan Joya Borja (5 April 1956 – 28 April 2021) was a Spanish comedian and actor known by the stage name El Risitas ("The Giggles" in Spanish). He gained widespread popularity in 2015 thanks to a series of memes based on a television intervie ...
, humorist * Criminal Manuel Delgado Villegas, serial killer * Drag queen Carmen Farala, winner of the first season of '' Drag Race España''


See also

* Cadillac Seville, a car that was named after the city *
Azulejo ''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, res ...
* Isla Mágica *
Seville Public Library The Seville Public Library (''Biblioteca Pública del Estado - Biblioteca Provincial Infanta Elena de Sevilla'') is a public library located in Seville, Spain. The library was founded in 1959 and occupied two different buildings before moving to ...
* Seville Statement on Violence


References

*


External links


Seville in the official website of Tourism in Spain

Official website of the city council.

Postal Codes in Seville
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Spain Phoenician colonies in Spain Roman sites in Spain Municipalities of the Province of Seville Port cities and towns on the Spanish Atlantic coast Province of Seville