Plaza Mayor de Zamora

PLAZA MAYOR, ZAMORA

The Plaza Mayor of Zamora is the link between the commercial and monumental areas and where the difference between the architecture of the old and the new Zamora Town Halls is clear.

The Old Town Hall dates from the time of the Catholic Monarchs (15th century). Built in the Plateresque style, its porticoed façade of Peñausende stone conserves characteristic elements such as semicircular arches and coats of arms of Spain and Zamora. However, the building has undergone numerous changes over time: after a fire in 1523 and several extensions in the following centuries, its towers were demolished in 1875. Today it is the headquarters of the Municipal Police.

The New Town Hall, which opened in the same year, responds to a practical need for more space and modernity.

Both buildings bear witness to the rich history of a city that has been shaped by various historical events, from the Siege of Zamora in the 11th century to the wars with Portugal and the subsequent tranquillity of the medieval period.

The Romanesque jewel of our main square is the church of San Juan de Puerta Nueva (12th century), with the most elegant rose window of the Romanesque in Zamora on its southern façade. In its tower, we can see a reproduction of the weather vane popularly known as the Peromato, the original of which is in the Provincial Museum.

The sculpture of the Merlú (Antonio Pedrero 1996), one of the most representative figures of Easter Week in Zamora, is particularly striking.

Information obtained from https://turismo-zamora.com/  and https://www.zamoranews.com/articulo/zamora/rostros-ayuntamiento-zamora/20241024185345304405.html