Seville Snapshots: The Battle of the Towers

My life has been lived next to rivers. Every home I’ve ever known has been in a city where the river runs through it, so it was no question I had to find a place blocks from the Guadalquivir when I moved to Seville. From the Triana side of the city, the commanding skyline had very few blips, just the spires of churches, the Giralda tower and the Torre del Oro, where gold was kept during the New World Exploration. Nowadays, the tower hosts a small naval museum (with free entrance every Tuesday) and is a reference point for the city.

But that may all change.

Further up river, the construction of the Torre Pelli has the UNESCO up in arms. In fact, this skyscraper will effectively change the city skyline the way the setas did a few years ago, and the organization is threatening to put Seville on their blacklist and strip the Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias of their world heritage status. During a visit in January, the organization effectively called for the construction to be halted, and even at only half its height, it makes a statement.

Do you think skyscrapers are right for Seville or small Spanish cities? Many thanks to Fiona for her insight via the Andalucía Blog!

If you’re new here, check out my first entry in a series on photogenic Seville, which will be posted every Monday. If you’d like to participate with your photos from Spain and Seville, please send me an email at sunshineandsiestas @ gmail.com with your name, short description of the photo, and any bio or links directing you back to your own blog, Facebook page or twitter. Don’t forget to follow Sunshine and Siestas on its new Facebook page!

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