Seville – Giralda

The Giralda is the bell tower of Seville Cathedral, and it’s necessary to get entrance to the cathedral to be able to access it. The bottom sections of the tower date from when it was a minaret for the mosque, dating to around the late twelfth century.

In 1248, the Christians took the city of Seville and the mosque started to be transformed into a Christian place of worship. The interior of the Giralda wasn’t much changed and it retains its wide sloping ramps to the top, which meant that “beasts of burden” could transport materials up there if required.

The start of the climb to the top, which wasn’t difficult as it was just walking up a gentle slope, although the temperature was rather warm. There aren’t obviously distinct floors as it’s a constant ramp up, but there are effectively 35 different floors and these are numbered.

On the way up there are some museum exhibits placed in the central section of the tower, which visitors can stop and look at to have a rest. Towards the top there are some viewpoints which also attract a rather pleasant breeze, ideal when Seville is hot (which seems to be nearly always).

Above are the views of the city which can be had from the top of the tower.

The bells at the top of the tower.

A view of the tower at night with the lighting making it stand out in the local area.

When I visited St. Louis in Kansas City in January 2017, I saw this half-size replica of the Giralda. The developer of the complex visited Seville in the 1920s and was inspired by the building so much that he wanted to recreate it.