Torre del Oro

The Torre del Oro (Spanish for "Gold Tower") is a dodecagonal military watchtower built in Seville, Spain by the Berbers during the Almohad dynasty in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river.

Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, the tower served as a prison during the Middle Ages and as a secure enclosure for the protection of precious metals periodically brought by the fleet of the Indies, another possible origin for the tower's name.

The tower is divided into three levels, with the third and upermost being circular in shape and added in 1760. This tower has a lesser known half sister: La Torre de la Plata, an octagonal tower.

Military function

It is one of two anchor points for a large chain that would have been able to block the river.The other anchor-point has since been demolished or disappeared, possibly from collapsing during the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. The chain was used in the city's defense against the Castilian fleet under Ramón de Bonifaz in 1248 during the Reconquista.

The Tower today

The tower has a significant meaning to the citizens of Seville: At one point in the last two centuries the tower came under threat when the adjacent road needed widening, but faced by strong opposition from the locals the demolition idea was dropped. In 1868 it was put up for sale as scrap, but this too was vehemently rejected by the city's inhabitants.

Today the tower, having been restored, is a naval museum, containing engravings, letters, models, instruments, and historic documents. The museum outlines the naval history of Seville and the importance of its river.

In popular culture

  • It has appeared as the Spanish wonder in Ensemble Studios' Age of Empires II, and a Home City building for the Spanish civilization in the sequel, Age of Empires III

External links

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Anisa A
29 June 2015
Great view of Sevilla from the top! Free entry Mondays!
RAKAN
1 February 2023
Beautiful old tower ✨ one of the Seville historic sites ???? Free entrance. Once at the top, the view, the of the surroundings and river is quite nice ????
Guido Gybels
8 March 2020
There is a small but neat museum about Spain's naval history inside the tower. However, you can also climb to the rooftop for interesting views across Seville.
Carl Griffin
23 December 2015
Contains a Maritime museum. Excellent views from the top.
Amradus Falconeri
31 December 2015
Antigua torre defensiva de las murallas barbacanas de la capital hispalense. Llegó a estar conectada con los Reales Alcázares y junto con la Giralda es uno de los emblemas representativos de la ciudad
Laëtitia J
11 October 2014
Un des éléments architecturaux emblématiques de Séville. À voir de nuit toute illuminée !
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Calle Almirante Lobo, 1, 41001 Seville, Sevilla, Spain Get directions
Wed 11:00 AM–8:00 PM
Thu 11:00 AM–9:00 PM
Fri 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Sat 11:00 AM–10:00 PM
Sun 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Mon 11:00 AM–8:00 PM

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