Alcazar de Colón
The Alcázar de Colón is a palace built by Diego Columbus from 1510 to 1514 in Santo Domingo for the then Viceroy. This was the seat of the Spanish colonial government in the New World for six decades. Today it houses the Viceroyal Museum.
classification
It is a historic building in the old town of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic and the oldest colonial city in America. It was Christopher Columbus ' third attempt to found a settlement. However, the building itself is younger. It was built by his son, Diego Columbus between 1510 and 1514. At that time, as the Spanish viceroy, he was the most senior Spanish official in the New World. The original building fell into disrepair at times. In the 19th century, as part of nationalism , it was stylized as a national monument and placed under monument protection. In the 1950s it was renovated and restored to its present state. Since 1990 it has been a Unesco World Heritage Site as part of the old town of Santo Domingo .
style
The building was constructed during the Renaissance . Due to its special location and history, it is assigned to the Spanish colonial style . The house has a flat roof. This means that the roof as a design element of the façade is missing , as are tower structures of any kind. Perhaps because of this, perhaps also due to the small size in relation to the forecourt, it looks modest and inconspicuous.
The facade consists of a central part, which is formed by two arcades lying one above the other . Five pillars each support the roof and the floor above. There is an almost unadorned and windowless wall on both sides of these arcades. Taken together, the unadorned parts of the facade are almost as big as the arcades. Typical elements of the Baroque or Gothic do not determine the overall impression.
exhibition
The building contains an exhibition. It is aimed at the interested layman and tries to give an impression of what it may have looked like there between 1510 and 1549. For this purpose, the visitor is guided through 22 different rooms on a tour. In contrast to many other museums, no objects are presented here that are demonstrably directly connected to the exhibition object. The exhibits probably never stood there. Instead, they have the function of creating a stylish impression. This can definitely be considered a success. Strictly speaking, there is the conception of history and the aesthetic ideas of the early 1960s . It is considered a National Treasure by the Dominican Republic.
Historical classification
The Spaniards' first two attempts to settle in the New World failed. The third attempt on August 4, 1496 succeeded. The settlement was called Nueva Isabella. It is today's Santo Domingo. Its founder, Christopher Columbus, did not live there. His family still lived in Europe. In 1509 his son Diego Columbus sailed to Santo Domingo and had this house built. He lived here with his wife and children. In 1524 he was called back to Spain. After his death, his wife came back and lived in the house for a long time. The exhibition is dedicated to this period.
The importance of this time for this house in particular and for Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic in general is due, among other things, to the fact that the island has lost its economic and political importance for Spain after a very short heyday.
Web links
- Information from the Ministry of Culture ( Memento of March 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
- Award ceremony as national treasure in August 2010 ( Memento from August 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
Coordinates: 18 ° 28 ′ 39 ″ N , 69 ° 52 ′ 58 ″ W.