Symbol of struggle
For me, the Torre del Oro (Golden Tower) is one of the most beautiful monuments in the city, both by itself and in its strategic location, always safeguarding the river Guadalquivir...
It has always been "undervalued" when compared with La Giralda, but townspeople have wanted and respected it in through its most difficult times, so much so that after the conquest of the city by Ferdinand III in 1248, the abandonment ensued with the Tower. Thus, it arrived in the sixteenth century in a ruinous state, which meant it needed to undergo important works of consolidation.
Thanks to this consolidation work it reached the eighteenth century, in which the terrible Lisbon earthquake of 1755 shook the city and severely affected the tower. These were critical moments in its continued existence, because although in 1760 they mended the damages and added the upper section, just before the chief officer of Justice Marqués de Monte Real proposed its demolition, to widen the promenade for horse carriages and leave the passage of San Telmo to the Triana Bridge straighter.
The strong opposition from the people of Seville (Even reaching the King) prevented the perpetration of such destruction. A subsequent death threat came from the hands of the Revolution of 1868, whose revolutionaries, who had hurried the demolition of the canvas walls, went up for sale so they could exploit their demolition materials.
Again, the popular opposition were those that made sure the tower survived. It is therefore that I think the Torre de Oro is a symbol of struggle and survival in itself, for all the times it’s had to face destruction and yet always emerged triumphant.
