The Urban Planning Management of the Seville City Council has awarded a contract worth 147,307 euros for the technical studies, preliminary design, museographic project, and basic and execution project of the future construction of a new building intended for an interpretation center of the walled enclosure of Seville, as well as the reorganization and enhancement of the surroundings of the Torre de la Plata, which houses municipal dependencies; and its walled area, the former Corral de las Herrerías.
Once the project drafting is completed, which is estimated to be ready by the end of the year, the bidding for the construction of an interpretation center for the walls, gates, and towers of Seville will proceed, in order to enhance this site and the Tower of La Plata Wall, whose surroundings still host a controversial surface parking lot, currently operated by Urban Parking of Seville (Aussa), majority-owned by the municipal company Urban Transport of Seville (Tussam).
In 2021, let’s remember, the Provincial Commission of Historical Heritage of Seville issued a favorable opinion on the project promoted by the City Council to continue using this area as a provisional space for vehicle parking; but at the same time, it demanded «to act as soon as possible for the implementation of a use in accordance with the determinations established by the urban planning regulations in force, which contributes to the enhancement of the area and the cultural heritage» corresponding to the old Casa de la Moneda and the Almohad wall.
PUBLIC AREA
This project, whose design has now been awarded, also includes the creation of a square for the leisure of the city’s residents and visitors, as specified by the City Council.
During the presentation of the project last June, the Mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz, explained this initiative in the presentation of the project «Walls, Gates, and Towers of Seville»; framed in the second phase of the Tourist Plan for Major Cities of Andalusia, and has a total investment of 2,200,000 euros, funded by the Junta de Andalucía.
The project includes the recreation of a map of Seville, highlighting its walls, towers, and gates. In addition, an interpretation center with a panoramic terrace will be built, which will host temporary exhibitions.
The interpretation center will provide visitors with a deep understanding of Andalusian Seville, the city’s conquest, the defensive system, construction techniques, and post-medieval reforms.
VISITS TO THE WALLS
In parallel, a route of visits to the walled enclosure of Seville will be developed, connecting the towers of Oro and Plata with the entire wall and the ancient gates of the city; with a route in which each of the historical gates of Seville will be recreated in their original location, to scale and in an accessible way, recovering an essential part of the city’s history.
In addition, an augmented reality project will be implemented in these locations, allowing users to visualize Seville from that era through their smartphones. This project will not only recover the Corral de las Herrerías and enhance this location but will also integrate the entire walled enclosure of Seville into a single project with its own interpretation center.
