Town Hall Square
Chapter 1/12 · Villaviciosa
Welcome to Villaviciosa, which everyone here calls simply «the Villa», capital of the municipality and known as the apple capital of Spain! We start in the Town Hall Square, which locals also call the Plaza del Güevu. This is a circular walk on foot of about two kilometres, largely following the Historic Route that the Town Council has marked on the ground with apples and arrows. We will come back to this very spot.
The town was born on 17 October 1270, when King Alfonso X the Wise granted it a town charter under the name Puebla de Maliayo. Soon afterwards it became Villaviciosa, which means «fertile, abundant town». It was surrounded by a wall with battlements and four gates, and its historic centre has been a Site of Cultural Interest since 1992.
In front of us is the Town Hall, from 1906, designed by the architect Antonio Suardíaz: an eclectic two-storey building with stone-balustraded balconies and a bell tower. Behind it lies Ballina Park, and at its edge stands the sculpture «Exaltation of the Apple» by Eduardo Úrculo, from 1996, a tribute to José Cardín, a key figure of El Gaitero cider.
Now let us walk a few steps to the Workers' Athenaeum.
Start · Villaviciosa