Plaza Alta is a square in the old town of Algeciras, Spain. It is one of the major centres of activity in the city, hosting numerous events and festivals throughout the year. Some of the city's most important buildings such as the Iglesia de la Palma and the Capilla de Europa stand on the square while neighbouring streets include Calle Ancha and Calle Convento.
The plaza is bounded by Camino Pablo Mayaho and Camino Ventura Moron. The Iglesia de la Palma is to the west, while the Capilla de Europa is to the southeast. [1]
The square has had various names over time which mirror the history of Spain. Its first name, as today, was Plaza Alta which can be seen on a map dated 1725. After the city's replanning in 1807, Manuel Godoy called it Plaza del Almirante but shortly afterwards it became Plaza del Rey, then in conjunction with the 1821 insurrection, Plaza de la Constitución, returning to its previous name in 1824. From 10 October 1830, to mark Isabel II's ascension to the throne it was changed to Plaza de la Reina. In 1873, with the proclamation of the republic, it again became Plaza de la Constitución, a name it kept until 1931 when it was renamed Plaza de la República and in 1936, after the Civil War, Plaza del Generalísimo Franco. Finally during the transition, it finally returned to its original name, Plaza Alta, which in fact was what everyone had always called it. [2]
The area the Plaza Alta occupies has existed since the city was remodeled in accordance with plans the Marquis of Verboom produced. There it is designated "Plaza Alta" (high square), in contrast to the market square "Plaza Baja" (low square). [3] Since 1783, it has had a public fountain, Los Arcos, supplied with water from the city's aqueduct. The first systematic replanning of the area was undertaken in 1807 by General Castaños, Governor of the Campo de Gibraltar. [4] In the original plans, the western end of the square was raised to provide a level area and the boundaries with the surrounding streets were marked off with chains attached to stone posts. There were eight entrances: four in the corners and another four on the sides. The square was surrounded by poplars and there were orange trees in tubs. There was to have been an obelisk in the center of the square but it was replaced by a column designed by Joaquin Dolz. A bust of Manuel Godoy was planned for the top but in fact it was never added. [5] The square was redesigned in 1925 by Mayor Joaquin Bianchi when the obelisk was blown up and the area was paved over. [6] A little later, a street lamp was placed at the centre on a red brick structure which the people called la cocina económica (the cheap kitchen) while the pillars, chains and benches were kept until the surrounding streets were widened for traffic in 1929. A year later in 1930, the square was once again remodeled by Mayor Emilio Morillas Salinas, taking on the appearance it has today. The plaza was considered to be a landmark the childhood of Paco de Lucía. [7]
The symmetrical [8] plaza contains a monumental fountain at the centre, circular benches and lamp posts all around, while a balustrade borders the surrounding streets, all decorated with Seville ceramics from the factories Cerámica Santa Ana and Cerámica Triana Casa Gonzále. Little has changed since the 1930 remodel, although a few benches have been added with ceramic decorations inspired by Cervantes' Don Quixote , a few palm trees have been planted and there are potted floral decorations.
Cádiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Algeciras is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar. The Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and the world in three categories: container, cargo and transshipment. The urban area straddles the small Río de la Miel, which is the southernmost river of continental Europe. As of 1 January 2020, the municipality had a registered population of 123,078, second in its province after Jerez de la Frontera and greater than Cádiz city population. It forms part of the comarca of Campo de Gibraltar.
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The University of Cádiz, commonly referred to as UCA, is a public university located in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain, noted for its medicine and marine sciences curricula. It was founded in 1979, and has the Latin motto Non Plus Ultra. Its headquarters are located in Cádiz, where the Rectorate is. During the 2007/2008 academic year, there were 17,280 students, 1698 lecturers, and 680 administration and services workers associated with the university.
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Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre. It is located on the Venezuelan Caribbean coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná. This city is the shire town of the Bermúdez Municipality and, according to the 2010 Venezuelan census, the municipality has a population of 173,877 inhabitants. Carúpano is considered the gateway to the Paria Peninsula and its main commercial and financial center.
Arcos de la Frontera is a town and municipality in the Sierra de Cádiz comarca, province of Cádiz, in Andalusia, Spain. It is located on the northern, western and southern banks of the Guadalete river, which flows around three sides of the city under towering vertical cliffs, to Jerez and on to the Bay of Cádiz. The town commands a fine vista atop a sandstone ridge, from which the peak of San Cristóbal and the Guadalete Valley can be seen. The town gained its name by being the frontier of Spain's 13th-century battle with the Moors.
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The Chapel of Our Lady of Europe is a Roman Catholic chapel located in the High Square of Algeciras (Spain). The popularly known "Capillita de Europa" is considered as the foundational element of the modern city of Algeciras. It was the host of the statue of the Virgin and the Child kept in the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe from the capture of Gibraltar by the Anglo-Dutch fleet in 1704 to 1864.
Almoraima is a studio album by Paco de Lucía.
The Chapel of the Charity (Spanish: Capilla de la Caridad is a Roman Catholic chapel in Villa Nueva, Algeciras, Spain.
Capilla del Cristo de la Alameda is a chapel in Algeciras, Spain. It was built in 1776 at the initiative of the priest Domingo Perez. The building was then situated along one of Algeciras's main streets of the time, Calle Alameda, and was attended by many sailors entering the port. In 1931 the church was assaulted and in subsequent years was converted into a storehouse and then an auto repair shop until the late 1990s when the city recovered it and it became the headquarters of the Municipal Museum of Sacred Art. The chapel consists of a single room and a small sacristy, and has a Baroque gabled facade.
Municipal Museum of Algeciras is a museum in Algeciras, Spain, located at the northern end of the Parque de las Acacias de Algeciras. It was established in 1995 and is run by the city's cultural department. It houses a large collection of archaeological items which were found in different parts of the city. With its two main divisions, archaeology and history, the museum documents three periods in the city's history: Roman-Byzantine Algeciras, the Andalusian city, and the modern era. A third division, religious art, is located in the Capilla del Cristo de la Alameda.
The Church of Our Lady of the Palm is a Roman Catholic church on the southwestern corner of the Plaza Alta in Algeciras, Spain. Listed as Bien de Interes Cultural by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 1992, like the Spanish: Plaza Alta itself, it is an important city landmark.
Plaza de la Constitución is a public square in the city center of Málaga, Spain.
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The Plaza de Isabel II is a historic public square between the Sol and Palacio wards in the central district of Madrid. The plaza is at the convergence of Arenal Street and the minor roads Arrieta, Calle de Campomanes, Caños del Peral, Escalinata and Vergara. It was formed by filling the ravine created by the Arenal stream and the source of the Fountain of the Canals of the Pear Tree. The square occupies part of the site where the old Theater of the Caños del Peral stood between 1738 and 1817.
The history of the Puerta del Sol represents an essential part of the memory of the Villa de Madrid, not only because the Puerta del Sol is a point of frequent passage, but also because it constitutes the "center of gravity" of Madrid's urban planning. The square has been acquiring its character as a place of historical importance from its uncertain beginnings as a wide and impersonal street in the sixteenth century, to the descriptions of the first romantic travelers, the receptions of kings, popular rebellions, demonstrations, etc. It has been the scene of major events in the life of the city, from the struggle against the French invaders in 1808 to the proclamation of the Second Republic in 1931, and it has also retained its place as the protagonist of the custom of serving twelve grapes on New Year's Eve, to the sound of the chimes struck by the Correos clock. Nowadays it is a communications hub, a meeting point, a place of appointments, a place for celebrations and the beginning of demonstrations in the Capital.
Coordinates: 36°7′52″N5°26′50″W / 36.13111°N 5.44722°W
