What to See in Zaragoza - Top Sights and Attractions

Medieval Islamic palace/Parliament seat. The Aljafería Palace is a fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11th century in the Taifa of Zaragoza in Al-Andalus, present day Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It was the residence of the Banu Hud dynasty during the era of Abu Jaffar Al-Muqtadir. The palace reflects the splendor attained by the Taifa of Zaragoza at its height. It currently houses the Cortes of the autonomous community of Aragon.

The structure is the only conserved large example of Spanish Islamic architecture from the era of the taifas (independent kingdoms). The Aljafería, along with the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba and the Alhambra, are the three best examples of Hispano-Muslim architecture and have special legal protection. In 2001, the original restored structures of the Aljafería were included in the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon, a World Heritage Site.

The style of ornamentation of the Aljafería, such as the use of mixtilinear arches and springers, the extension of arabesques over a large area, and the schematisation and progressive abstraction of the yeserias of a vegetal nature, strongly influenced Almoravid and Almohad art in the Iberian Peninsula. The shift in decoration towards more geometric motifs is at the basis of Nasrid art.

After the reconquest of Zaragoza in 1118 by Alfonso I of Aragón, it became the residence of the Christian kings of the Kingdom of Aragón. It was used as a royal residence by Peter IV of Aragón (1319–1387) and, in 1492, it was converted into the palace of the Catholic Monarchs. In 1593 it underwent another restructuring that would turn it into a military fortress, first according to Renaissance designs (which today can be seen in its surroundings, moat, and gardens) and later for quartering military regiments. It underwent further restructuring and damage, especially with the Sieges of Zaragoza of the Peninsular War, until it was finally restored in the 20th century.

The palace was built outside Zaragoza's Roman walls, in the plain of the saría. With urban expansion over the centuries, it is now inside the city.^[1]

Museum in Zaragoza, Spain. Zaragoza Museum is a national museum in the Plaza de los Sitios in the city of Zaragoza in Spain. Its collections range from the Lower Palaeolithic to the modern era and include archaeology, fine arts, ethnology and Iberian ceramics.

It is the city's oldest museum and its main building - housing the fine arts and archaeology display - is the Neo-Renaissance structure designed for the Spanish-French Exhibition of 1908 by Ricardo Magdalena and Julio Bravo. Its design was inspired by the Patio de la Infanta, home of the Renaissance merchant and patron Gabriel Zaporta. The museum also has an ethnology display at the Casa Pirenaica, a ceramics display at the Casa de Albarracín in the Parque José Antonio Labordeta and the remains of Colonia Celsa in Velilla de Ebro.^[2]

Bridge in Zaragoza, Spain. The Bridge Pavilion is a building designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid that was constructed for the Expo 2008 in Zaragoza as one of its main landmarks. It is an innovative 280-metre-long covered bridge that imitates a gladiola over the river Ebro, connecting the neighbourhood of La Almozara with the exposition site, and thus becoming its main entrance. The new bridge is, at the same time, a multi-level exhibition area; 10,000 visitors per hour were expected to frequent the Pavilion during world exhibition.

Hadid chose fibre glass reinforced concrete from Austrian company Rieder to envelope the bridge: she covered the outer skin of the building with 29,000 triangles of fibreC in different shades of grey.

During the Expo 2008, the Bridge Pavilion hosted an exposition called Water – a unique resource, designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates. When the Expo was over, the building was purchased by the local savings bank Ibercaja to use it as a site for expositions.^[9]

Church in Zaragoza, Spain. See Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar for the church in Buenos Aires

The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon. The Basilica venerates Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title Our Lady of the Pillar praised as "Mother of the Hispanic Peoples" by Pope John Paul II. It is reputed to be the first church dedicated to Mary in history.

Local traditions take the history of this basilica to the dawn of Christianity in Spain attributing to an apparition to Saint James the Great, the apostle who is believed by tradition to have brought Christianity to the country. This is the only reported apparition of Mary to have occurred before her believed Assumption.

Many of the kings of Spain, many other foreign rulers and saints have paid their devotion before this statue of Mary. Saint John of the Cross, Saint Teresa of Ávila, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and Blessed William Joseph Chaminade are among the foremost ones. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is one of two minor basilicas in the city of Zaragoza, and is co-cathedral of the city alongside the nearby La Seo de Zaragoza. The architecture is of Baroque style, and the present building was predominantly built between 1681 and 1872.^[16]

The Central Market of Zaragoza or Lanuza was designed in 1895 by the Aragonese architect Félix Navarro Pérez to replace the traditional one that was held outdoors in the old market square. It was commissioned by the Sociedad Nuevo Mercado de Zaragoza and in 1903 it was finished. It has been a National Historic Monument since 1978 and a Site of Cultural Interest since 1982.

The building, built with an iron structure, has a functional and harmonious design and a rectangular floor plan. Félix Navarro had been to Paris and knew Les Halles, a work that undoubtedly influenced him when designing the central market. He planned a rectangular plan with three naves, the central one wider and higher. The whole structure rests on a semi-basement that was used as a warehouse and that on the outside has the appearance of a plinth.

The materials used combine stone and iron and glass architecture. The doorways have neoclassical elements (arched galleries, sculptural decoration of allegories of agriculture, hunting, fishing and transport, medallions, pinnacles with fruit trees) alongside wrought iron grids. The capitals of the iron columns have original shapes, such as baskets, acanthus leaves, neoclassical palms and fruit clusters.

In the period 2018-2019, the City Council of Zaragoza is proceeding to its modernization rehabilitation, being the most important work carried out in the building since its inauguration. The Project is directed by José Antonio Aranaz, Municipal Architect and has been drafted by the technical services of the state company MERCASA.

February 5, 2020.