The great Plaza De España spans the northern edge of the Maria Luisa Park in Seville, Spain. The city itself is one of Europe’s historical centres, preserving thousands of years of myths, religions and empires that have each made a mark on this regional melting pot of European and North African heritage.

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At the centre of it all, the Plaza jewels the crown in impeccable classical style. With its location, you’d be forgiven for misreading its age. It was not built thousands or hundreds of years ago; in fact, there are likely people still alive today who remember its construction in 1929.

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The Ibero-American Expo of that year aimed to showcase many of the industrial and technological advancements of the Hispanic world. Much of South and Central America exhibited at the fair, as well as Portugal and the United States, designed to sew unity between Spain, its neighbours, allies, and its former colonies. By contrast, the much larger World’s Fair ran concurrently in Barcelona. Clearly, to be additionally invited to exhibit in Seville was a more exclusive privilege meant to highlight exactly where Spanish priorities leant. Either way, in 1929, all eyes were on Spain, and this Plaza was a master work.

The revival style of the Plaza De España was the brainchild of local architect Aníbal González, drawing influences from the European Renaissance and Moorish Spain. The semicircular perimeter of the building connects 48 individual alcoves side by side, each of which represents in mosaic a different region of Spain. Each of the alcoves also contains sculpted stone bookshelves containing literature from the regions.

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Besides the incredible work of cultural projection that the Plaza extends to its guests, the sheer visual beauty of the place has led it to be featured in several films, from Lawrence of Arabia to Star Wars, clearly testament to its cinematic grandeur. Despite being a stage for a temporary Expo, the Plaza exhibits a remarkable feeling of permanence, and one that remains rooted in the history of the country, despite its young age.

Words by Alfie Munkenbeck