Renaissance Architecture: Royal Tobacco Factory in Seville, Spain

The Royal Tobacco Factory (Spanish: Real Fábrica de Tabacos) is an impressive colonial building in Seville, southern Spain, with a fascinating history of the tobacco trade that came to Spain from the Americas.

Five interesting facts about the factory:

It was built by the Flemish architect Sebastián Van der Borcht between 1728 and 1771. The layout is Renaissance in style, in terms of its floor plan and facades, with the principal building material being stone from the town of Morón de la Frontera. The interior consists of a series of arcaded patios with long corridors and rooms.
The story of the opera Carmen by the French composer Georges Bizet was set in the factory, where the main character, Carmen – a gypsy woman who worked in the site – fell in love with one of the soldiers guarding the building.
It is one of the largest and best industrial buildings in Spain; it covers a roughly rectangular area of 185 by 147 m (610 by 480 ft), with slight protrusions at the corners.
Since the 1950s, it has been part of the University of Seville.
It was declared National Artistic Historical Monument in 1959 and also has the consideration of Well of Cultural Interest.

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