Paris1972-Versailles2003

We are back to my dear Spain again !! love it !! We came by car of course and took time to see new areas and old repeat with some of them as introduction to my sons and our dog Rex ! I rented a small house in a off the beaten path country town that was just perfect ! I like to continue my road warrior stories with an introduction to a great square of Valladolid, Therefore, here is my take on the Plaza Mayor of Valladolid !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Valladolid is in the province of Valladolid, in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y Léon, only 202 km from from Madrid, Coming in from our little village we came in straight into the underground parking in the Plaza Mayor, a great choice close to all and and we came in during the filming of MasterChef episode with a known chef Jordi Cruz and big crowds of course. My older son watch these series as he is a graduate of the hospitality/restaurant school in France! We had fun as well…

The Plaza Mayor,is the nerve center of Valladolid, and a place of passage obliged for those who want to discover the “model” square in Spain, The square of regular form, architecturally coherent and uniform. It is indeed the first architectural example of this new way of making a large squares in the center of the big cities of Spain. The Plaza Mayor, present since the modest origins of the city, was located in the 11C outside the defensive enclosure of what was only a large village. It was with the arrival of the new count, Pedro Ansurez, that the city will experience rapid growth: it must be said that it was precisely the mission entrusted to him by King Alfonso VI of Castile and Léon.

The current location of the Plaza Mayor was not yet at the time the place where the city seat was. The new count house was located in another square, the Plaza Santa Maria, named after the two churches, Santa Maria La Mayor and Santa Maria La Antigua. The transfer in the 13C of the market which took place towards the site of the current Plaza Mayor, then known as “Plaza del Mercado” (market square) kicked off its development. Little by little, the Valladolid institutions will move to this new economic center of the city, where the San Francisco convent was already. A gigantic fire in September 1561 ravaged Valladolid and its Plaza del Mercado, which became Mayor. The new square will therefore serve as a model for the other Plaza Mayor in Spain and the Spanish Empire.It is now a question of making an ordered urban plan, with a regular place of form from which rectilinear streets start. The traffic is thus simplified, we leave the old tortuous streets of the Middle Ages. However, there are, however, some small streets of this overflowing time, such as the Calle Viana.

The Plaza, now “Mayor”, becomes the address of the new city/town hall, the Casa Consistorial de Valladolid. It will take 15 years to finish it, between 1562 and 1577. Threatening ruin in the 19C, the building was destroyed in 1879 to give way to that which we can admire today, in the same location. The current, eclectic style building will not be inaugurated until 1908. The San Francisco convent will be part of the Plaza Mayor until its demolition in the 19C, and in its place, we find the Zorilla theater today (opened in 1884). The rectangular square is surrounded by porticos. The columns are in granite, with wooden capitals. The buildings, for the original architect, should have three floors, with balconies at first. The ground has been grid since 1996, with in the center the monumental bronze statue of the count Pedro Ansurez, installed here in 1903. The beauty of the place is a little spoiled by the entrances to the underground parking, (we parked here great spot) but it must be said that it remains discreet, Today, this charming square is devoted to the leisure, looking forward to having a coffee on the terrace and looking at the superb building of the Valladolid city/town hall for a few moments.It is sublime indeed!

 

The Valladolid tourist office on the Plaza Mayor: https://www.info.valladolid.es/en/-/lugares-parques-jardines-y-plazas-plaza-mayor

The regional Castilla y Léon tourist office on Valladolid: https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/turismocyl/en/art-culture-heritage/provincial-capitals/valladolid

There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Spain, Valladolid is nice, awesome will say back after so many years it seems all for the first time, and love it ! We will be back, eventually, Very convenient on off the A62 A6 highways connecting to all of Castilla y Léon and Comunidad de Madrid regions, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Plaza Mayor of Valladolid as I

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