26 Interesting Facts about Seville, Spain

Facts on Seville to Learn All About It

Ready to learn all about Seville?

Facts are one of the best ways to learn more about something, and I personally love to read them! I’ve put together for you some Sevilla facts and split them into 3 categories:

• The best Seville facts
• Seville fun facts
• General facts of Seville

Let’s dive in straight away with our first category!

The Best Seville Facts

The first part will be about general facts about Seville, mostly regarding history but also interesting facts about the city:

1. There is a secret code or a motto in the city of Seville: NO8DO

If you walk around the city of Seville for a bit, you will start to notice something written everywhere, on buses, taxis, and buildings: NO8DO.

It is the logo of the city. According to the legend, it originates from the 13th century, and the coat of arms was awarded to the city by King Alfonso X the Wise. His own son wanted to take his throne, and the city of Seville helped him defend himself.

2. Seville can be visited any time of the year

Spain and most of the Mediterranean countries have immaculate weather. Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain is particularly reputed with sunny cities like Malaga… and Seville.

Seville enjoys sunny weather All. Year. Long. On average, there are only 80 days of rain per year. Summers are very hot, usually reaching 35 °C (95 °F), and in 1881, it reached a record number of 50 °C (122 °F)!

3. Some of the best festivals in Spain happen in Seville every year

Not only are there lots of festivals all around the year in Seville, but they are also some of the most colorful ones in the whole country, and maybe even in Europe.

The two most famous festivals are Feria de Abril and Semana Santa. They are within 2 weeks of each other, in April. While the first one is a very classic festival with dancing, singing, and drinking, the latter is a holy celebration.

4. Christopher Columbus’ remains were moved a lot before ending in Seville

Christopher Columbus is probably the most famous explorer in the history of the whole world. He first discovered the Americas in 1492, with his three famous ships, the Niña, the Santa Maria, and the Pinta.

His remains were moved from one country to another way too many times: from Valladolid to Sevilla, then to the Dominican Republic, then to Havana, and finally to the Cathedral of Sevilla after the Cuban independence.

5. Seville is a clean energy city

Because of its exceptional exposure to the sun, Seville benefits from a lot of solar energy, and this tendency is only going to grow in the upcoming years.

A solar power tower is providing renewable, clean energy to the city. The project is so impressive that it looks like the tower and its mirrors come out from a sci-fi movie. It produces energy for 180,000 houses (the whole city of Seville) and costs 1,200m €.

6. Seville used to be on an island

That’s right! This coastal and very famous city was originally on an island, and it was called Hisbaal back then.

It was occupied by the Iberian people and later changed its name to Hispalis during Roman times. Afterward, the Moors conquered it in the 7th century, building unique buildings in the Arabic style. Finally, Castilian rule began during the 13th century, when King Ferdinand III conquered Andalusia.

7. The golden age of Seville happened during the 16th century

The Catholic monarchy began to rule the country in the 15th century. The golden era of Spain as a whole started after the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, bringing new goods to the country.

Seville had a very important role back then, because of its ideally located port, named “Casa de Contratación”. It quickly became the commercial center of Spain and helped expand the Spanish empire.

8. Seville is the 4th most populous city in Spain

Lots of cities are emblematic in Spain. You have most probably heard of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and… Seville. Each of them is very different and has its very own charm and lovely region.

Seville is the capital of Andalusia and is uniquely beautiful with its Arabic style. In terms of population, it is ranked 4th in the whole country, with almost 700,000 inhabitants.

9. The cathedral of Seville is magnificent and has a long history

You can find the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, or “Catedral de Santa María de la Sede”, in the center of Seville. It is a magnificent building, attached to The Alcazar, and is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The building of the cathedral actually began on top of a Moorish mosque. Because it dates so far back, you can see the influence of many styles, like Baroque, Renaissance, and Neo-Gothic.

If you’re staying in town, you should know several Seville luxurious hotels offer wonderful views over some of these landmarks, with unique viewing angles. 

10. “Semana Santa de Sevilla” is one of the biggest festivals in the city

I have already told you a bit about it in fact #3, but “Semana Santa de Sevilla” is so important that I had to dedicate an entire section to it.

It is one of the biggest annual festivals and happens during Easter Week (7 days before Easter). Lots of processions take place in the whole city for a few days, and the religious community joins them.

Read more: Discover more about the Semana Santa in Spain

11. There are 3 UNESCO listed sites in Seville

On top of the amazing Cathedral, there are two other World Heritage sites in Seville, awarded by UNESCO.

First off is the Alcazar, one of Spain’s best known castles. Its building started in the 10th century, and its purpose used to be hosting royal families and heads of state. To this day, the royal family stays there when they come to Seville.

Then, there is the Archivo de Indias, constructed in 1585. It is a great collection of documents related to the discovery of the Americas, the New World.

Alcazar de Sevilla

12. Seville has hosted two great Expos

Two international expos were hosted in Sevilla: the 1929 Ibero-American Expo and the 1992 Expo.

You can still see pavilions of the first one in “Parque de María Luisa”. It is a very picturesque green space.

The second one took place in “La Isla Cartuja”. Its theme was “The Age of Discovery”, and it happened exactly 500 years after the expedition of Christopher Columbus.

Plaza de Espana

13. Three Roman emperors were born just outside Seville

The Romans settled in Spain in 206 BC, in the middle of a war against the Carthaginians. They stayed there for 700 years and fought the Iberian tribes. Andalusia’s old name, Baetica, was one of Rome’s wealthiest regions.

The first Roman town in Spain was called Italica (today “Santiponce”), and later became the third most important city of the whole empire. Three emperors were born there: Trajan, Hadrian (who built the famous wall in Great Britain), and Theodosius.

14. Seville is 2,200 years old

Yes, Seville is a very old city.

It has seen numerous civilizations between its walls, all of them bringing different important aspects to the city we know today. From Iberian to Romans, then Moors, and finally Christians, all of them helped Seville to grow and to become very well known. It was mythically founded by Hercules, a very long time ago.

15. The Arab Moors made huge contributions to the city’s buildings

If you have seen how Seville looks like, or are maybe even one of the lucky people who got to visit it, then you can easily see all of the Arab Moors contributions to the city as a whole.

There, you can see splendid buildings like The Alcazar, but also the general aspect of the streets and the mosaic style you can see regularly. That is because the Moors stayed in Spain for almost 800 years.

Inside the Alcazar de Sevilla

16. Ferdinand Magellan departed from Seville for the first circumnavigation of the Earth

You all know about Christopher Columbus, a famous explorer who brought the New World riches to Europe and gave people back then a whole new look on the whole world.

Another very famous explorer is Ferdinand Magellan. He led the first circumnavigation of the Earth (traveling around the whole globe), and started this memorable journey from Seville, Spain. He was killed by Mactan natives, and the expedition was finished by Juan Sebastián Elcano. Only 18 or 19 travelers of the initial 270 men returned from the expedition.

So there you go, these were the most interesting and general facts about the city of Seville.

But keep reading, because it still has a lot of surprises for you! Onto the fun facts about Seville Spain:

Seville Fun Facts

Seville has so much history that there are definitely a lot of fun and unusual facts for you to discover.

Here are 10 more facts you probably do not know about:

17. The largest wooden structure in the world is in Seville

The Metropol Parasol in Seville is the biggest wooden structure in the world.

It is made of two concrete columns in which there are lifts for visitors and measures 150 x 70 x 29 meters (492 x 229 x 95 feet). On top of it, there is a wonderful viewing point, from which you can see the whole city. It is located in “La Encarnación” square, in the center of the city.

18. Seville could be the birthplace of tapas

Tapas are a very reputed Spanish meal, and alongside paella, they are the most popular meals in the whole country. They are basically several dishes that you share with friends without any precise recipe.

Their origins, just like a lot of famous meals, are not clear. However, among Spanish cities, Seville holds the strongest claim. It was first a way to cover glasses from flies and quickly became a well known snack.

19. You can see Seville in lots of famous movies and TV series

With a mix of Moorish, Venetian, and other countries’ influence in Seville, no wonder you can see tons of famous movies and TV series sets there. The city is very beautiful and has a lot of different landscapes.

Among the most famous ones, you can find Star Wars Episode II, Game of Thrones (The Alcazar representing the gardens of Dorne), and Lawrence of Arabia.

The gardens of Alcazar used for Game of Thrones’ Dorne

20. Seville is highly reputed for its juicy oranges

You already know, Southern Spain has perfect sunny weather. This is why there are so many fruits in Andalusia, and in general why Spain is a huge fruit producer, with tons of them all around the year.

In Seville more precisely, you can find the highest number of orange trees in all of Spain. It is very famous for its bitter oranges, ideal to make marmalade.

21. There are 2 football clubs in Seville

If you are going to Seville, you will need to make a decision, because soccer is very important there: are you a supporter of “Real Betis Balompié” or of “Sevilla Fútbol Club”?

In the city, this rivalry is historical and legendary. Sevilla FC was founded in 1905, and Betis two years later, in 1907. During derby matches, you will hear lots of noise all night long, especially horns, so be prepared!

22. Flamenco takes its roots in Seville

Flamenco is a unique Andalusian art form, associating music, dancing, and singing. It dates back to the 18th century and supposedly originates from Seville (though its origins are, as usual, not precise). It was created by the combination of different folk music traditions, and from various and multiple cultures.

There are tons of Flamenco performances in Seville that you will really want to see, and this art is very important in Spanish culture.

23. Seville was the world’s best city to visit according to Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet is a very large travel guide book publisher, founded in 1972 by Tony and Maureen Wheeler, in Australia. You have probably seen at least one of their books in any bookstore, as they are still operating to this day, with 200 authors and 400 total staff members.

In 2018, this experienced book publisher awarded Seville as the world’s best city! Architecture, culture, flamenco, food, everything is great there.

24. The University of Seville used to be a tobacco factory

The wonderful building that is today the University of Seville had a truly different purpose when it was first built in 1758: it used to be a tobacco factory!

Its moat and watchtower were there to protect the very lucrative tobacco monopoly that was established. 6,000 women worked there and made cigarettes and cigars by hand. Most of them were gypsies, and it is said that one of them inspired Bizet’s cigarette girl, Carmen.

25. Famous fictional characters were inspired by Seville

Speaking of Carmen, you now know that her character was inspired by Seville, and more precisely by the tobacco factory. But she’s not the only one!

“El Burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra” by Tirso de Molina introduced a very famous character: Don Juan. He fell in love in the city’s narrowest street, now called “Calle de Los Besos” (“the Kissing Street”).

26. Sevillanos did not trust the English… and their bitter oranges

As I have already told you, the bitter oranges are very reputed in Seville, and the city produces tons of them. However, what you might not know is that the English are crazy about bitter orange marmalade and that they used Seville oranges to make it.

Sevillanos were so astonished that they did not trust the English. They thought British people actually used the pith to produce… gunpowder.

And that’s it, these are my 26 Seville interesting facts.

I hope you enjoyed them and learned something, and if you are still interested in discovering new things, keep reading for more facts about Seville, and Spain as a whole:

General Facts of Seville

You’ll find below a few general facts of Seville, to learn more about this Spanish city:

• Name: Seville (English) / Sevilla (Spanish)
• Province: Seville
• Region: Andalusia
• Land area: 140 km² / 50 sq mi
• Population: 688,000
• Name of inhabitants: Sevillan / Sevillian
• Website: Seville

Seville Flag

More Facts!

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Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

The Full List of 26 Seville Facts

1. There is a secret code or a motto in the city of Seville: NO8DO
2. Seville can be visited any time of the year
3. Some of the best festivals in Spain happen in Seville every year
4. Christopher Columbus’ remains were moved a lot before ending in Seville
5. Seville is a clean energy city
6. Seville used to be on an island
7. The golden age of Seville happened during the 16th century
8. Seville is the 4th most populous city in Spain
9. The cathedral of Seville is magnificent and has a long history
10. “Semana Santa de Sevilla” is one of the biggest festivals in the city
11. There are 3 UNESCO listed sites in Seville
12. Seville has hosted two great Expos
13. Three Roman emperors were born just outside Seville
14. Seville is 2,200 years old
15. The Arab Moors made huge contributions to the city’s buildings
16. Ferdinand Magellan departed from Seville for the first circumnavigation of the Earth
17. The largest wooden structure in the world is in Seville
18. Seville could be the birthplace of tapas
19. You can see Seville in lots of famous movies and TV series
20. Seville is highly reputed for its juicy oranges
21. There are 2 football clubs in Seville
22. Flamenco takes its roots in Seville
23. Seville was the world’s best city to visit according to Lonely Planet
24. The University of Seville used to be a tobacco factory
25. Famous fictional characters were inspired by Seville
26. Sevillanos did not trust the English… and their bitter oranges

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