This itinerary includes a visit around the City's Municipal Park, known as the "Alquería del Pilar place for which the Andalusian Parliament approved in March 2021 a Proposición No de Ley (PNL) declaring it to be a place of peace. Asset of Cultural Interest (B.I.C.) In addition to its ethnological and environmental value, the nineteenth-century buildings of different architectural styles, mansions that were owned by distinguished personalities of Sevillian society, stand out. A visit to the house of José Lamarque de Novoa and his wife Antonia Díaz, poets precursors of a cultural and artistic movement in Seville at the end of the 19th century.. The building is surrounded by many other symbolic architectural features, such as the Chinese pagoda, the lake, the grotto and various fountains and nymphaeums.
Equally significant are the Ybarra family homesbuilt at the end of the 19th century by José María Ybarra Gutiérrez de Caviedes, 1st Count of Ybarra. All of them currently have different public utility uses, such as social welfare as well as other cultural and educational purposes. Of particular note is the so-called House of Culture The building is beautifully crafted with English and continental influences and is complemented by a unique neo-Mudejar chapel.
Due to its botanical richness and its strategic location, the park has become one of the best places for leisure and recreation in the city, ideal both for strolling and for the practice of aerobic sports and calisthenics. It should also be noted that, taking advantage of the space occupied by an old quarry from which material was extracted for the construction of the railway, the council decided to adapt it to convert it into an auditorium with a capacity for 3,500 spectators, a stage where a multitude of shows of all kinds take place throughout the year.
The Route is rounded off with a visit to the majestic Palace of AlpérizThis was the residence of the wealthy merchant Manuel Alpériz and his wife Juana González, owners of an old factory located next to the aforementioned palace. Of that important factory, dedicated to the spinning of jute fabrics, all that remains is its industrial chimney, today a visual reference not only for the area but also for the city itself. The building, whose construction spans two different periods and architectural styles, stands out for the extension carried out in 1905, which gives it an unquestionable neo-Mudejar character. In fact, it is considered one of the most important examples of neo-Mudejar civil architecture in the province of Seville. Also noteworthy are its gardens in the regionalist style. Although this superb building was used for various purposes throughout its history (sanatorium and children's hospital), since the beginning of democracy, it has been used mainly by senior citizens.
Extension: Visit to Huerta de la Princesa and Casa del Arte
Just a few metres from the municipal park are both the "Huerta de la Princesa" and the "Casa del Arte", emblematic places in the city that share similar origins and common aesthetics.
The Huerta de la PrincesaThe headquarters of the Popular UniversityIt belonged to Princess Dolores de Borbón y Orleans and her husband, the Polish Prince Josef Czartorisky. The beautiful early 20th century English-Continental style building has witnessed a number of royal visits and many other illustrious personalities that add to its interesting history.
The Huerta de Santa Anaknown as the "House of Art was also built according to the aesthetic canons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It belonged to the 1st Count of Lugar Nuevo, who soon transferred ownership to the Abaurre family, although in the 1980s it became public property, and until 1999 it was the headquarters of the Municipal Library. At present the space is shared by three important local entities dedicated to the promotion of art and local culture, such as the Grupo de Danzas de Dos Hermanas, the Peña Flamenca "Juan Talega" and the artistic collective "Ventana Plástica".. The building is surrounded by beautiful gardens that share space with the architectural remains of an old local hacienda known as the "Hacienda de la Cañá in reference to its location near an old royal cattle track.
Addresses:
- 28 de febrero S/N ( Parque de la Alquería y Palacio de Alpériz)
- C/Bahía de Cádiz S/N ( Huerta de la Princesa)
- de Sevilla 37 (Casa del Arte)
