Seville wants to make the famous “Plaza de España” accessible for a fee for tourists | outside

“We plan to close the Plaza de España and make tourists pay to finance its maintenance and ensure its safety,” Sanz wrote on Sunday on the X website. It has not yet been announced how much Sevilla will charge and when the measure could take effect.

The action taken by the conservative politician immediately received a lot of criticism from citizens and the opposition. Spokesman Antonio Muñoz said the Spanish city's socialists, among others, “reject the privatization of public spaces.” “No one is thinking about closing St. Mark's Square in Venice or Plaza Mayor in Madrid.” It was said that imposing an overnight tax on tourists might be more beneficial. Spokesmen for the leftist government in Madrid said they wanted to prevent the square from being cordoned off.

look. A video posted by Mayor Sanz on X as a defense against criticism

On Monday afternoon, Sanz responded to the criticism directed at X. With video footage of the square showing street vendors, waste and damage, he stressed that the current municipal budget is not enough to “preserve our heritage.” He also explained that entry for Seville citizens will remain free and that only tourists will have to pay a tax, “as happens in most cities in the world.”

Plaza de España is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the capital of Andalusia. The semi-circular square with an area of ​​about 50,000 square meters was created in 1929 for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition.

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