One of the most popular attractions in Seville is the Torre de Oro, which has 3 levels and is located at the Guadalquivir river’s edge and once was part of Seville’s wall which defended the Alc?zar (Fortress). Despite its long history, I couldn’t help but ask myself: Is it really a monument worthy of being visited?
I decided to find out during my visit to the city; the first thing I found out is that the Tower is in a very good state and barely four years have passed since it was last renovated.
Its straight shapes and its huge size take you straight away to an older Seville and it isn’t difficult to imagine that the area which parks, avenues and apartamentos en Sevilla now cover was once full of walls and fortifications.
This golden tower literally has a golden glaze which I thought was caused by tiles. However, once I was there, I found out that the glaze was caused by a mixture of mortar, lime and pressed straw.
It was built in 1220 and was joined to the silver tower, by a wall, which had then disappeared. This is one of the last remains of the military fortification which was so important for the city.
However, the tower didn’t always have a military use, because it was made into a chapel and also served as a prison for some years.
Nowadays, the tower is home to Seville’s naval museum, where you can admire objects such as: fossilised sea remains, nautical art mechanisms, compasses, ships’ figureheads, pictures and recordings which deal with topics to do with the sea, old letters written at sea, historical documents and more.
This huge monument is part of the city’s identity and a visit to Seville wouldn’t be complete without visiting this peculiar tower.
