MONUMENTS, ATTRACTION, MORE SEVILLA

The father of regionalist architecture

The physiognomy of Seville is largely due to the brilliant contribution of Aníbal González, an architect who assimilated the precepts of Modernism to express himself through a style closely linked to his land: Regionalism.

Regionalism.

A look at the history

Regionalism develops a look at the past, a reinterpretation of the historical styles of Seville’s architecture. Mudejar becomes neomudejar, Baroque becomes neobaroque, Gothic becomes neogothic… historic Seville grows with historicist Seville. And all thanks to the talent of a small group of architects, among whom the figure of Aníbal González stands out.

And all thanks to the talent of a small group of architects, among whom the figure of Aníbal González stands out.

Prolific in the manner of Eiffel in Paris, and decisive in the reinvention of urban landscapes, in the manner of Gaudí in Barcelona, Aníbal González knew how to configure an architectural current that clung to the philosophy of his city as forging adheres to the brick of its characteristic constructions.

A decisive architect

You can find buildings by this architect scattered all over the city: from stately homes downtown, to institutional buildings, to collective housing. If you ask people about its author, they will almost always tell you «…by Aníbal González, I think», because he really was a very prolific author, but also, although some are not his designs his influence can be perceived in many constructions of the time.

Discovering his legacy

But above all, Aníbal González played an essential role in the great Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, with the design of the pavilions and new urban spaces that the exhibition brought to Seville. The most outstanding:

The Archaeological Museum. Former Pavilion of Fine Arts of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, made in neo-Renaissance style.

The Archaeological Museum.

The Mudejar Pavilion. Also located in the Plaza de America in Maria Luisa Park, this neo-Mudejar building houses the Museum of Popular Arts and Customs of Seville.

The Mudejar Pavilion.

The Royal Pavilion. It is the third of the buildings located in this lavish square, and completes the tribute to the architectural styles of the city with the neo-Gothic.


And of course… The Plaza de España. Probably the most spectacular space of regionalist architecture. Commissioned to the architect Aníbal González for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, it was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII. Its total area is 50,000 square meters, of which 19,000 are built and the remaining 31,000 are free space.

It has a total area of 50,000 square meters, of which 19,000 are built and the remaining 31,000 are free space.

To keep in mind

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The Luises Chapel is an excellent demonstration of its neo-Gothic architecture.

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The House for Laureano Montoto is one of his most Modernist-oriented works.

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