SANTA MARÍA DE LA REDONDA CATHEDRAL CHURCH

The Redonda, situated in the Herat of the old town, with a front façade that opens onto the Plaza del Mercado and two side façades opened onto calle Caballerías and calle Portales, is one of the best-known images of our town. The first records on this church are dated in the 12th century. It looks as if it was a Romanesque church with polygonal or circular plant of which the only remain we have today is the nickname of "La Redonda".

SANTA MARÍA DE PALACIO CHURCH

This is one of the four churches in Logroño´s old town, situated between calle Mayor and calle Ruavieja, very near the Albergue de Peregrinos. Its most singular element is an octagonal-plant tower the citizens of Logroño call "the needle". In the present building, we can see a complex combination of superimposed constructions that make it very difficult to imagine the original structure, as it has been rebuilt and extended on several occasions.

SANTIAGO EL REAL CHURCH

Santiago el Real church is situated in the old town, in calle Barriocepo, nearby the square and the fountain of the same name, and is devoted to the remembrance of the road to Santiago and the resting of the pilgrims. Santiago church has been linked to the council, and some of the documents of the town council were kept in the inside. It seems that the representatives of the town used to meet on important decisions during the 1521 siege.

SAN BARTOLOMÉ CHURCH

It is one of the four churches of the old town, situated between the following streets: Rodriguez Paterna, La Cadena, Herrerías and San Bartolomé, the one which gives name to the church. It is thought that its tower was part of the town's defensive line, being used to protect one of Logroño´s gates. It was built in the 13th century, the age in which its monumental façade was built, and has elements from other centuries, mainly on the tower's top sections, from the 16th century.

LA RIOJA MUSEUM

Built in the 18th century, this beautiful building was owned by Mrs. Jacinta Martínez de Sicilia, Duchess of la Victoria and wife to General Espartero. During the years when the general dwelled here, the palace was home to meetings and political and social gatherings of a great relevance. The kings Amadeo of Savoy and Alfonso XII took part in some of these gatherings. The architect who designed the palace is unknown. The palace has an irregular square plan and three floors. Among the works exhibited there we can find works from the 12th to the 19th century, as well as works from La Rioja and temporary exhibitions. Outstaning works include paintings by El Greco, Juan de Espinosa and Navarrete el Mudo.

PUERTA DEL REVELLÍN

King Carlos V gate is the only remaining one of the old accesses to the town. By this arch, which has a big imperial shield on the top, there are remains of the wall that kept the citizens of Logroño safe from the 12th century. Year after year it is the venue of one of the most important celebrations of the festivals to honour San Bernabé: The remembrance of the citizens of Logroño´s heroic deed against the French troops in 1521. In a symbolic way, the Cofradía del Pez celebrates that exploit by giving away fish, bread and wine, the food that was the only sustenance of the citizens under siege behind these walls, of which today there remain this segment of wall as well as others that have been found in excavations along the old perimeter of the town.

PUENTE DE PIEDRA

Its real name is "Puente de San Juan de Ortega", in remembrance of a chapel that there was on the left bank of the Ebro in the 18th century to honour San Juan, considered by some historians as the builder of the first stone bridge over the Ebro on its course through Logroño. The one that exists today was projected by Fermín Manso de Zúñiga and opened in 1884. It is 194 metres long and has seven arches sustained on cylindrical pillars.

ESPOLÓN

The most emblematic square of town began to be designed in 1757 as a public promenade outside the walls that protected the town. The most representative element of this square, the equestrian statue of General Espartero that still stands at the centre of the Espolón, was a designed by architect Luis y Tomás and made by sculptor Pablo Gibert. Its construction was delayed for years, basically due to financial problems, but it was finally inaugurated in 1872. The statue and the four lions that complete the monument were made of bronze from some cannons. The fountain that nowadays surrounds the equestrian statue was built in the early nineteeen sixties.

TOWN HALL

Born in Tudela (Navarre), Moneo is the author of important projects such as Merida´s Roman art museum, Atocha Station, the auditoriums of San Sebastián and Barcelona, or the Stockholm Museum of Modern Art. He worked on the project of this town hall between 1973 and 1974. The works started in 1976 and finished four years later. This building has become a singular example to know and understand Spanish civil architecture, and stands out as an attractive place for professionals and visitors from all over the world. It is situated to the centre of the town, on a plot were there used to be army barracks.

PLAZA DEL MERCADO

This square, which had several names along the centuries, was originally the "Plaza Mayor", the centre and reference point of cities, although the town council was not in control of the buildings there until the 19th century. In this place fairs were held, which brought prosperity to our town. From the 9th century, when the charter of Logroño was granted, and most of all with the royal concession of 1195 to have free markets (tax free) twice a year, the trade tradition of our town was set. This fact would be the origin of our best-known festivals, San Mateo, when one of these annual fairs coincided with the festivity of San Mateo (the 21st of September) by desire of Queen Isabel II.