Plaza del Coso (Peñafiel)
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Located at the foot of the castle hill, the listed Plaza del Coso in the northern Spanish town of Peñafiel is one of the best-preserved and most impressive squares in the country. It is used every year during the Fiesta in honor of San Roque , which takes place from August 13th to 18th, to drive the bulls ( encierro ). The square has also served as a backdrop for the La Bajada del Angel (“The Descent of the Angel”) festival on Easter Sunday since the 1960s.
history
Under the name Corro or Corro de los Toros , the existence of the rectangular square is attested as early as the Middle Ages. Most of the surrounding buildings date from the 15th to 18th centuries; Nowadays, however, they are mostly uninhabited and are only used during the festive events.
architecture
Unlike the royal squares of the 16th to 18th centuries (above all the Plaza Mayor in Madrid and the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca ), the Plaza del Coso in Peñafiel was not subject to any uniform planning, but was built on a floor plan that has probably been handed down since the Middle Ages. Unusually there is not a single public building (church, town hall, etc.) among the 48 mostly three-storey houses that surround the approximately 3500 square meter square, which is only accessible via two corner entrances.
building
The surrounding town houses are exclusively (former) residential buildings, the wooden balconies of which on the one hand provided shade for the rooms below, and on the other hand were and are used as stands during the annual bull run. They each consist of a stone ground floor, in which the kitchen and storage or business rooms were, as well as two upper floors, largely built as wooden structures, which were used as lounges and bedrooms. The different widths and high houses have both gable roofs and pent roofs , all traufständig be on course.
Web links
- Plaza del Coso - Photo + Info (English)
Coordinates: 41 ° 35 '34.6 " N , 4 ° 7' 6.5" W.