Plaza Mayor, Castellon de La Plana

The main square of cyty is surrounded by architectural monuments included in the list of historical and cultural heritage of Spain: the Central Market, the Municipality, the El Fadri Tower and St. Mary's Cathedral.

The square has been the center of the city since its foundation. On weekdays, there was a market here, and during the holidays, bullfights, performances, and performances were held.

The Cathedral of St. Mary dates back to the 13th century and was completed in the early 15th century, while the El Fardi Tower was built 40 years later. I will tell you more about them in the following articles.

City Market (Mercado Central) - the youngest building on the square, built in the middle of the 20th century, but its history began in 1902, when the city Council decided to build. In 1913 there were shopping malls under canopies, and in 1925 an architectural competition was held. The winner was the project of Vicente Traver Tomas (Vicente Traver Tomas, according to his own project, St. Mary's Cathedral was restored after the war), but construction was delayed due to the Civil War.

The new market building was officially opened on December 21, 1949. In 1964, the fish department was added to the building, since the corresponding market on the neighboring Fish Square was closed in 1951.

City Hall Palacio Municipal was built in the Tuscan style in 1689-1716 by the architect Melchor Serrano. Initially, there were turrets at the corners of the building, which disappeared as a result of post-war reconstruction.

On the square, next to the cathedral, you can see several modern sculptures. Street artist (El pintor de calle) by Carlos Vento in 2009.

The sculpture is dedicated to the oldest local artist, Juan José Salas, who for a long time was as much an integral part of the Plaza Mayor as the cathedral.

At the left corner of the cathedral in 2002, the sculpture "Guardian Angel" (Angel Custodio) by the artist Esteve Edo (Esteve Edo) was installed.

I was in Castellon on New Year's Eve, where half the square was filled with Christmas market stalls with enticing smells and a bright fairground carousel. The portal of the church was decorated with an installation with figures of three magus kings (magi) made of LED garlands, very beautiful at night.