The Cartuja is one of the fantastic surprises that you need to discover during your visit to this city, from its historical heritage to its leisure areas, from its cultural activities to its avant-garde architecture. An immense place surrounded by the Guadalquivir river that hosts a technological centre, and university area, museums, auditoriums and a theme park.
In the area of the Cartuja which is nearest to the quarter of Triana, there are three first-rate exhibition areas.
The Andalusian Centre of Contemporary Arts (CAAC) is located in a building which hosted the Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas for many centuries, where Christopher Columbus prepared some of his trips and a symbol of the Expo 92. You will love the contrast between artistic and archaeological heritage that the city treasures and the bolder works of modern arts.
The Navigation Pavilion is only 200 metres far from the CAAC and is near the Guadalquivir river, where you will find a building with the shape of an inverted boat, which was designed by the Sevillian architect Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra also for the universal exhibition. Nowadays the Navigation Pavilion hosts all kinds of exhibitions due to the multifunctional nature of the building. But it is also important to mention the theme that inspired that building: the relation between Seville, the maritime world and the age where many expeditions took place.
In front of this building, you will find the great cultural centre of Seville: the Caixaforum exhibitions hall, whose architect was also Vázquez Consuegra. The Caixaforum stand out due to the quality and variety of its exhibitions.
The Cartuja Island was 'given use’ again when Seville hosted the Universal Exhibition that commemorated the Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of America. Apart from placing value on its historical importance, the Expo 92 left attractive new buildings and monuments in this enclosure.
Standing 64 metres high, this full size replica of the Ariane rocket can be seen from different points of the Cartuja.
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We have one of the most central theme parks in the world. You just have to cross the bridge from Alameda to the quarter of San Lorenzo and you will have reached Isla Mágica. Among many attractions and shows, this park brings the visitor back in time to the 16th century Seville as well as to fabulous places of the Indies .
These are not the only leisure options that the Cartuja offers. The biggest concerts that take place in Seville are celebrated in the Olympic stadium. For its part, the Rocio Jurado auditorium hosts big outdoors musical events. Also, the Cartuja Center Site, a new space with a capacity for an audience of 4,000 people, has recently been inaugurated.
For the enthusiasts of performing arts, the Teatro Central is one of the references at a national level in its kind.
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In the Gardens of the CAAC there is an ombú tree that was planted by Hernando Columbus, the son of Christopher Columbus.
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Near that tree there is a statue of Christopher Columbus that reminds us the linkage of the admiral with the Monastery of the Cartuja.
- At the foot of the marvellous Torre Sevilla, a work of César Pelli, there is a new shopping centre and the Magallanes park.
- To all attractions that Isla Mágica offers is added Agua Mágica in Summer, an aquatic park 5 minutes far from the city centre.
