Paris1972-Versailles2003

And let me update this memorable older post on a wonderful square in Segovia. The plaza Mayor is omnipresent all over Spain as the central focus of power, history, architecture, and everyday life which Spaniards fully enjoy. I have great memories of childhood coming with my mother for an ice cream lol!! Now let me tell you a bit more of this wonderful Plaza Mayor of Segovia!

So moving right along with my stories of my beloved Spain, once again one very popular place for locals and visitors alike but only touch on briefly in my previous posts. Need to do justice to one of my favorite cities in all of Spain, Segovia.  And time to tell you about its wonderful Plaza Mayor or main square the historical center of it all in Segovia.

The Plaza Mayor is located in the historic center of Segovia, in Castilla y Léon autonomous region. The urban space has all the characteristics of a typical Spanish main square or Plaza Mayor, and on which are located some important monuments such as the abside of the Cathedral , The theater Juan Bravo (b. 1917) or the city/town hall of Segovia (1610). (See posts).

It was historically called the Plaza de San Miguel,referencing a primitive Church of San Miguel that was originally there.  In this Plaza de San Miguel square was held the market of Segovia, as well where Isabel I the Catholic was proclaim Queen of Castilla in December 13 1474. The Church was demolished in 1532 and rebuilt a few meters away to allow the renovations of the current Plaza Mayor. Starting from the end of the 19C, at the time of the Bourbon Restoration (monarchy) it was called Plaza de la Constitucion, and after the last Spanish Civil War (1936-39), it was named Plaza de Franco, until with the return to the democracy officially renamed again as everyone knew it the Plaza Mayor.

The square has an almost rectangular shape and near the center you will see a music kiosk ,designed in 1896 of iron work ,where music concerts are held today. For much of the 20C it was retired on several occasions and spared on this site again, until in 1986 it was definitively anchored. One day a year, during the festivity of Santa Barbara,(there is a permanent chapel inside the Cathedral and my native town patron Saint)  the kiosk was transformed into a chapel.

Late in the 19C, the square was filled with cafes, shops, trattorias, food houses and hotels, to welcome visitors arriving in the city by train, causing a big boom in the city. Today the Plaza Mayor of Segovia continues to be a meeting point for the locals and tourists who visit in a large number a city that has so many attractions. A must hangout place indeed.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here, and is a must while in Spain, are:

The city of Segovia its presentation: https://www.turismodesegovia.com/inicio/la-ciudad/

The Segovia province tourist office on its heritage: https://segoviaturismo.es/en/ven-a-segovia/turismo-monumental/paseos-por-la-capital/3205-la-esencia

The Castilla y Léon region tourist office on Segovia: https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/art-culture-heritage/provincial-capitals/segovia

There you go folks, all set for a wonderful visit to a wonderfully beautiful and architecturally stunning city of Segovia, and not to be missed its Plaza Mayor. Enjoy it

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Walking around towns I got to know the intricate history of each place visited. More so in my beloved Spain, walking and visiting is not enough, you might want to get to know the people and the places, monuments, statues you see are there for what? One of them caught our attention in lovely Segovia, the statue of Juan Bravo and a fountain. Let me tell you a bit of the story; hope you enjoy it as I.

We walked on the Paseo de los Tilos by a beautiful fountain encrusted on the ramparts walls; this is at the intersection of Paseo de los Tilos and Calle San Miguel. Is a peculiar fountain not very much info on it just notice it has encrusted the shields of Castilla y Léon and the symbol of the aqueduct!! Neat to walk by it.

The other story on this post is historical and part of the history of my beloved Spain. The statue to Juan Bravo was erected in April 22 1922 at the Plaza Medina del Campo in bronze, looking straight ahead, wearing period clothes and one leg slightly bent, Juan Bravo raises the flag of freedom with his right hand.

Juan Bravo was a Castilian noble known for his participation in the War of the towns of Castile. The war of the towns of Castile, led by the commoners, is an armed uprising of the interior towns of the crown of Castile, especially Toledo and Valladolid, against the royal power between 1520 and 1521, that is to say at the beginning of the reign of Charles I of Spain.  Between 1499 and 1504 Juan Bravo followed the steps of Queen Isabel I (the Catholic) thru Granada, Sevilla, Toledo, Madrid, Alcalá de Henares, Segovia ,and Medina del Campo. When Queen Isabel of Castilla died in 1504, he was let go of his posts. In October 1519 , Juan Bravo was appointed leader of the militias of Segovia. He led a revolt against the representative to the court. The insurgents took Segovia; Juan Bravo organized it militarily and led the operations preventing the entry of royalist troops into Segovia.

Juan Bravo took charge of maintaining relations with the rest of the insurgent towns and went to Tordesillas to parley with the Queen Mother Juana for her support, but to no avail. Subsequently he joined forces with those of the commoners council of Valladolid, without being able to avoid defeat before the royal troops in the battle of Villalar on April 23, 1521. Taken prisoner, he was beheaded on April 24, 1521. When his remains was transported to Segovia, the royal authorities had to stifle with difficulty a great tumult of indignation.

The Juan Bravo Theater in Segovia bears his name in memory of him. It is the city’s main theatre, inaugurated on October 26, 1918, it is located in the Plaza Mayor (see post) in the same place that the La Zarzuela theater and the Reina Victoria cinema had previously occupied. It receives its name from the local community leader Juan Bravo. More on the theater from InfoSegovia in Spanish: https://www.infosegovia.com/que-hacer/teatro-juan-bravo.html

Hope you enjoy this off the beaten path story on my beautiful Segovia and beloved Spain. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!