SEVILLE: THE THROBBING HEART OF ANDALUSIA

By Peter Van Oyen

In western Andalusia one of the most beautiful cities of the world is waiting for the meeting and conference guests: Seville. The Andalusian capital’s magnificent sites should not only be visited, but experienced. The traveller follows the footsteps of the Moors, the Conquistadores and Columbus. Lesser known is the fact that Sevilla is extremely suitable for business and meeting events. The city has already hosted two World Exhibitions, and it contains the Feria Iberoamericana de Sevilla (Fibes), a superb congress centre. In whatever capacity you visit Seville, you will always feel its throbbing heart.

Exhibition…
Expo 92 meant an awful lot to Seville. This World Exhibition offered the city the opportunity to develop into a modern metropolis, ready for the 21 st century. You can see this at its best on ‘ Cartuja Island’ in the river Gualdalquivir, where futurist buildings were once the pavilions of the World Exhibition. Now, a lot of these buildings have been transformed into multifunctional exhibition or conference halls. Palenque is a gigantic ‘biosphere’ cocoon with various spaces according to the climatologic zone that is represented. This special and educational centre is suited for incentive groups and offers a space for up to 1,500 people. Another striking building is the auditorium by Eleuterio Población, a gigantiv multifunctional events hall for 6,000 people. The Cartuja Tecnopolis is devoted to science and also offers numerous possibilities to meeting planners.

Another highlight is the Parque de Maria Luisa, which was laid out for the Iberico-American exhibition of 1929. In the middle of the park the fairy Plaza Espana as it were a huge film set. It is bordered by a grandiose semi-round building depicting scenes from the history of Spain. The eclectic building around the Plaza have already often been used for exhibitions and meetings.

… and conference venues
Seville is increasingly more used as a congress town, and this is partly thanks to the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos (FIBES in short) with a surface of some 30,000 square metres. The FIBES has 9 multifunctional halls with the Audito-Rium for 1,123 people being the largest. Furthermore, there are numerous exhibition rooms including a pavilion (for some 6,000 people) and an outdoor space for 3,600 people. Of course, the city and its surroundings also contribute to the success of the meeting and incentive trips. The fact that the Mediterranean Sea, the sherry castles of Jerez, Cordoba with its world-famous Mezquita and the romantic Alhambra in Granada are not far off, also constitute a major attraction. However, especially the inner town of Seville, in the shadow of the Giralda, is the major attraction for the visitors. Also for business travellers to Andalusia should certainly spend some hours to feel the vibrating heart of Seville.

Giralda
As a magnet the Giralda, watching over the town, attracts you. The clock tower of the immense cathedral –originally a minaret- was once the highest building in Europe. On top, the four-metre high statue of a woman, turning with the wind, has given its name to this monument. The best view is from the garden with aromatic orange trees surrounding the cathedral.
When walking in the cathedral, you do not know what to look at first. Legend has it that the 15 th-century builders wanted a church so high that their descendents would declare them mad. It is difficult to say whether they succeeded or not. One thing, however, is sure: Seville cathedral has become the largest Gothic church in the world. The highlight is the high altar with its inspiring architectural richness that took 100 years to build. In comparison the sarcophagus holding Columbus’ remains since 1902, is just a minor achievement. The four stone supports of this monument were not able to tell me whether it really contains the skeleton of the great explorer.

Misleading
At first, the Reales Alcazares mislead the visitor: not the Moors had this complex built, but a 14th-century christian king, Peter the Cruel, who created an eclectic love nest for him and his love. The architects were Moors, sent out by the rulers of Granada. In this way the most beautiful piece of the mudéjar style came about, like in a tale of one thousand and one nights. The royal palaces bring the quietness and shadow of the Orient, as well as the hustle, baroque and vain of some ages of Christianity. The Reales Alcazares are all-in-one, an wonderful architectural museum intertwining mudéjar, mozarabe and manierism elements in an extraordinary way.
Seville ’s pulsing heart can best be felt in the Barrio Santa Cruz, the former Jewish quarter in the shadow of the Reales Alcazares. You can wander through the narrow streets for hours. The white houses with their green shutters keep out the heat in summer. The nicest of the many squares is not a square at all: in the Calle Lope de Rueda, potted plants change the street in a cosy inner court where the inhabitants have a nice chat. Legend has it that in this area the dark-haired beautiful Rosina lived, who would be immortalised later by Rossini, together with barber Figaro in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia" (The Barber of Seville).

Enchanting women
Flamenco is part of a trip to Seville, as much as are tapas and sherry. The long-shaped hall of Tablao Flamenco El Arenal is a well-appreciated outing for incentive groups. You drink moscatel wine at small tables and stage the musicians and dancers have real go at it. Flamenco is taken very seriously in Seville; it is an expression of the Andalusian soul. This spectacle is certainly worthwhile. Lady dancers, with straight backs turn round and round. They caress the wooden floor with their whizzing skirts. Then the clapping starts, the sound of castanets, pounding heels on the floor. For the audience, this is a show, for the musicians and dancers it is passionate reality. In the dances you can discover unreturned love, anger, rows and tears. And also the wish to live, happiness and the scorching sun. The tap dance always ends in overdrive and stamping feet in an unreal silence. Then there is an enormous applause. For the enchanting flamenco. For Andalusia’s pulsing heart. For Seville.