The Antigua Fábrica de Maderas, Seville, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

The Antigua Fábrica de Maderas is a site in the Casco Antiguo, the old town of Seville, whose name means the old timber factory. It is a good stop for anyone wandering the historic centre who wants to look beyond the main monuments and learn the stories told in these streets.

The story behind it

Details about the building itself are thin, so it is best enjoyed as a way into the stories of the neighbourhood around it. One of the best known is the legend of Al-Mutamid, the poet king of Seville in the eleventh century. According to the tale, he was walking by the Guadalquivir with his friend and fellow poet Ibn Ammar, and the two were struggling to finish a verse. A young woman named Itimad, who was by the river, supplied the missing lines. The king was so impressed that he freed her and made her his wife and queen.

The legend goes on to say that Itimad longed for snow, and that the king answered by having almond trees planted so that their white spring blossom would look like a snowy landscape. It is a story rather than a documented event, but it is still told in Seville as a picture of love and poetry in the city's Moorish past.

What to look for

• Look at the building's name and its exterior, and ask yourself how a working timber factory once fitted into this part of the old town.
• Notice how the narrow streets of the Casco Antiguo change in scale and character within a few minutes of walking, from quiet lanes to busy squares.
• Keep an eye out for plaques, street names and small details on facades, which often hint at the history of a neighbourhood.
• In spring, watch for blossoming trees in gardens and squares, which call to mind the almond legend of Al-Mutamid and Itimad.

Tips for your visit

• Allow a short stop of around ten to fifteen minutes if you only want to see the place from outside, and more if you combine it with a walk through the surrounding streets.
• Access to the interior may vary, so check current opening hours and visiting conditions before you go.
• Morning or late afternoon light is gentler and the streets are usually more pleasant to walk than in the midday heat.
• The Casco Antiguo is compact and best covered on foot, so wear comfortable shoes and plan to see other sights nearby on the same outing.

See it on a quest

The Antigua Fábrica de Maderas is one of the places on Off The Beaten Path Seville: Tales And Legends. You reach it on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. The theme of tales and legends suits a city like Seville. You can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.