TheCasco Antiguo (Spanish forAncient District) is the city centredistrict ofSeville, the capital of the Spanish region ofAndalusia. The Casco Antiguo comprises Seville'sold town, which lies on the east bank of theGuadalquivir river. It borders the districts ofMacarena to the north,Nervión and San Pablo-Santa Justa to the east, and the Distrito Sur to the south. Bridges across the Guadalquivir link the Casco Antiguo toLos Remedios,Triana andLa Cartuja.
There are threeUNESCO World Heritage Sites in the district: theCathedral of Seville, theAlcazar and theArchivo General de Indias. TheGothic Cathedral was built in 1403 on the site of a former mosque of which theAlmohadminaret, theGiralda, was retained as a bell tower. It is the largest Gothic building in Europe and houses the tomb ofChristopher Columbus. The Alcázar, built by theMoors in 712, was converted into a Christian royal residence in 1248. The Archive of the Indies was designed as a trade exchange of American treasures byJuan de Herrera under the orders of KingPhilip II of Spain. It was never used in that role and in 1784 KingCharles III of Spain decided to store all documents relating to the conquest of the Americas.[1]
Other buildings in the district include theTorre del Oro, theCity Hall, thePalace of San Telmo, and theMetropol Parasol. TheUniversity of Seville is mainly based in the former Royal Tobacco Factory in the south of the Casco Antiguo, the setting to the story and operaCarmen. Thecity's bullring is inEl Arenal.
It has twelve neighbourhoods. Of these,El Arenal on the riverfront was the port of Seville until the Guadalquivir silted up in the 17th century,[2] while the neighbouringSanta Cruz neighbourhood was a Jewish quarter until theSpanish Inquisition.[3]
37°23′36″N5°59′40″W / 37.39333°N 5.99444°W /37.39333; -5.99444