Plaza de la Candelaria (Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
The Plaza de la Candelaria is a public square in Santa Cruz de Tenerife ( Canary Islands , Spain ).
History of the place
When Santa Cruz de Tenerife was founded at the beginning of the 16th century, the area of the Plaza de la Candelaria was on the northern edge of the settlement. Initially, the area was used for militia exercises . It was therefore called the Plaza de Armas . The construction of the Castillos San Cristóbal in 1579 delimited the square from the sea. Other buildings were erected around the square. With the increasing importance of the port and the construction of a pier in front of the Castillo San Cristóbal, the square, now called Plaza del Castillo, became the economic center of the city. In 1706 a fountain was placed in the middle of the square. The name therefore changed to Plaza de la Pila (place of the fountain bowl). After the Castillo San Cristóbal was demolished in 1929, the square towards the port was open again. Due to the layout and the new development of the Plaza de España on the area adjacent to the Plaza de la Candelaria, in the 1940s and 1950s the focus of traffic shifted from the Plaza de la Candelaria to the Plaza de España. When the area of the Plaza de España was redesigned between 2006 and 2008, the Plaza Candelaria became a pedestrian zone.
The official name of the place has been changed again and again over the years. A. in Plaza de la Constitución , Plaza Real etc. The name used today is derived from the monument El Triunfo de La Candelaria , which was erected in 1778 in the lower part of the square. A stage is set up in front of this monument for Carnival, the Fiestas de Mayo and other occasions. The upper part of the slightly rising square becomes an auditorium for public events. In the rest of the time, the square is the end or beginning of the city's main shopping street, Calle Castillo, with many street cafes and a meeting place for tourists and locals.
The square was and is still the scene of many important political and social events for the city such as the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, demonstrations, etc. For the Chichareros (residents of Santa Cruz), however, the farewell to the defeated British sailors and Marines by a form of honor of the Canarian Militia on July 25, 1792, the most significant event that took place in the square.
Monuments in the square
El Triunfo de La Candelaria
The monument was erected in honor of the Virgen de la Candelaria or Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria . It consists of an obelisk with a statue of the Virgin Mary on top. At the four corners of the base there are life-size figures depicting the Menceyes (princes of the indigenous people of Tenerife) from the principalities of Icod , Daute, Abona and Adeje . The inscriptions on the four sides contain references to the importance of the candelaria for the island and an indication of the year of installation and the donor of the monument. Until 1928 there were puttos riding on dolphins in the base area . The monument is made of Carrara marble . It was created in Genoa in 1768 by the sculptor Pasquale Bocciardo.
La Pila
The fountain bowl, which today stands in the upper area of the square, was the uppermost part of a fountain that was erected in the center of the square in 1706. The fountain is made from local volcanic stone . This well was one of the terminals of the newly installed drinking water supply for the city and the port. The water was brought in from Monte Aguirre in the Anaga Mountains via a 12 km long canal. In 1802 the fountain bowl fell down for some unknown reason and broke. The Bunnen was then moved further downwards. In 1844 the fountain bowl was sold to a private person who set it up in a hotel garden. In 1986 the fountain was built on the spot where there was a stone cross, which today stands on the Plaza de la Iglesia.
Buildings on the edge of the square
Edificio Olympo
At the place where the 57 m high Edificio Olympo has been located since 1975 , the Hotel La Orotava used to stand . The hotel was one of the top addresses for travelers for a long time before they moved to other parts of the island. The Edificio Olympo consists of retail space on the lower floors and commercial space and apartments on the upper floors.
Camara de Comercio
The Camara Oficial de Comercio, Industría y Navegación de Santa Cruz de Tenerife building, also known as Círculo Mercantil, was designed by José Enrique Marrero Regalado in 1932 and completed in 1943.
Edificio Banco Santander
The 52 m high Banco Santander building at the west end of Plaza Candelaria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was completed in 1977. The building contains both commercial and residential areas.
Palacio de Carta
The Palacio de Carta is a historically significant building in the Plaza de la Candelaria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Matías Rodrígez Carta had the building built between 1721 and 1752. Francisco de la Pièrre is accepted as the builder. The building with a facade facing the Plaza de la Candelaria and a tower that is barely noticeable from the plaza has an inner courtyard (patio) with remarkable balconies and galleries made of wood. The Palacio de Carta was the seat of the General-Captains of the Canary Islands from 1853 to 1881. The building has been a listed building since 1947.
Casino de Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The building of the Casino de Santa Cruz Tenerife was designed by the architect Miguel Martín Fernández de la Torre and completed in 1935. The owner, Sociedad Casino de Tenerife , is a private association. It is not a casino , but an association to promote culture and leisure activities. Important conferences and art exhibitions were held in the building.
The building has been a listed building since 2006.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b José Manuel Ledesma Alonso: La Plaza de la Candelaria (Patrimonio Histórico-Monumental ...). September 11, 2011, Retrieved August 2, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ José Santos Puerto: Triunfo de la Candelaria. (PDF; 3.0 MB) El Día, October 8, 2005, accessed on May 26, 2012 (Spanish).
- ^ Edificio Olympo. Emporis, accessed August 6, 2012 .
- ^ Alberto Darias Principe: Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Ciudad, Arquitectura y Memoria Histórica 1500–1981 . Tomo I. Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2004, ISBN 84-89350-92-2 , p. 426 ff .
- ^ Santander Central Hispano. Emporis, accessed on August 6, 2012 (German).
- ^ Alberto Darias Principe: Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Ciudad, Arquitectura y Memoria Histórica 1500–1981 . Tomo I. Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2004, ISBN 84-89350-92-2 , p. 59 f .
- ^ Alberto Darias Principe: Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Ciudad, Arquitectura y Memoria Histórica 1500–1981 . Tomo I. Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2004, ISBN 84-89350-92-2 , p. 340 f .
Web links
Coordinates: 28 ° 28 ′ 0 ″ N , 16 ° 14 ′ 53 ″ W.