Page 448 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

446  SE VILLE

7 Real Alcázar

In 1364 Pedro I ordered the construction of a royal residence
within the palaces which had been built by the city’s Almohad
(see p58) rulers. Craftsmen from Granada and Toledo created a
jewel box of Mudéjar patios and halls, the Palacio Pedro I, now
at the heart of Seville’s Real Alcázar. Later monarchs added their
own distinguishing marks: Isabel I (see p60) dispatched navi­
gators to the New World from her Casa de la Contratación, while
Carlos I (the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V – see p62) had
grandiose apartments built. More recently, in 2014, the Alcázar
was used as a location for the hit TV show Game of Thrones.

Gardens of the Alcázar
Laid out with terraces, fountains and
pavilions, these gardens provide a
delightful refuge from the heat and
bustle of Seville.

. Charles V
Rooms
Vast tapestries
and lively
16th-century
azulejos decorate
the vaulted halls
of the apartments
and chapel
of Charles V.

Plan of the Real Alcázar
The complex has
been the home of
Span ish kings for
almost seven
centuries. The
palace’s upper
floor is used by
the royal family
today.

Key
Area illustrated above . Patio de las Doncellas
The Patio of the Maidens
Gardens boasts plasterwork by the
top craftsmen of Granada.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp571–2 and pp597–8

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