Seville

(. The inhabitants of the city are known as ''Sevillanos''. The population is about 700,000 people, making it the fourth largest city in Spain just after Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia); the metropolitan_area has a population close to 1,300,000. ''Seville's "Giralda"''

Motto

The motto of Seville is "NO8DO". The "8" is shaped like a wool hank, in Spanish ''madeja''. This makes the motto, as a rebus read "NO madeja DO" which is a pun on "no me ha dejado" = "she did not abandon me". This refers to the city's support for King Alphonse X in the war with his son Don Sancho in the 13th_century. This motto is seen throughout Seville, inscribed on manhole_covers.

History

Legend has it that it was founded by the equally legendary Greek hero, Hercules. It was named Hispalis under the Romans. The influence of 800 years of Moorish occupation and their architecture predominates. The city was long an important sea_port, prior to the silting up of the Guadalquivir. It sits well inland, but a mere 6 meters above sea level. Much of the Spanish_Empire's treasures from the New_World came to Europe ''via'' Seville, and Seville still holds the most important archive of the Spanish conquests in the Americas. It was the home of Expo_92. The showpiece bridge across the Guadalquivir was designed by renowned architect Santiago_Calatrava was built for this occasion. Seville also hosted the European Summit in June 2002; this was met with a counter-summit by those opposing neoliberalism and the tightening of European regulations on immigration. Seville is known for its hot summer weather.

Sights

The city's great Cathedral was built from 1401 - 1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city's mosque. The interior is lavishly decorated, with a large quantity of gold evident. The Cathedral reused some columns and elements from the old mosque, and most famously the ''Giralda'', originally a minaret, was converted into a bell_tower. It is topped with a statue representing Faith. The Giralda is the city's most famous symbol. The ''Alcazar'' is the city's old Moorish Palace; construction was begun in 1181. Additional construction continued for over 500 years. The ''Parque Maria Louisa'' was built for the 1929 Exposición_Ibero-Americana World's_Fair, and now is landscaped with attractive monuments and museums.

Education

  • University_of_Seville
  • Pablo_de_Olavide_University

    Sports

    Home town of two rival soccer teams Sevilla_FC and Real_Betis_Balompié.

    Seville in fiction

  • Seville is the primary setting of Bizet's opera ''Carmen''.
  • Seville is the setting of the novel and film ''Nadie_conoce_a_nadie'', which incorporates the elaborate Sevillian processions during Holy_Week.

    Photos

    ''view of Seville from the Giralda tower next to the cathedral.'' ''Sculpted archway, old town centre'' ''1929 Exposition Building''

    External links

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