A TOUR OUTSIDE THE WALLED AREA. PRESENT-DAY PAMPLONA
19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES
After some arduous negotiations with the army, in 1888 the Pamplona Council finally obtained authorisation to carry out the first urban extension of the city, still within the walled enclosure of Pamplona, but on land controlled by the military. This extension of the area that could be used for construction made it necessary to demolish the bastions of San Anton and La Victoria and the ravelin of Santa Teresa. A walk along the street of Padre Moret and adjoining streets reveals the architecture at the end of the 19th century. The Military Government building (1) is located at number 10 General Chincilla. The building was constructed in 1915 to be used as accommodation for the officers. Number 7 of the same street (2) and which currently houses the Water Authorities, was the work of the architect Angel Goicoechea who designed a building with a geometric decoration in brick in the Neomudejar style. The Chamber of Commerce is located in the Calle Navas de Tolosa 7, this building is the work of Florencio Ansoleaga (3). The modernist style is represented by two buildings designed by the architect Manuel Martinez Ubag: number 6 of the calle General Chinchilla (4), which now houses the Treasury offices, and number 7 of the calle José Alonso (5). The first of the two mentioned buildings boasts a portal decorated with a flowing decoration of fine ornamental plasterwork with plant motifs.
The auditorium of Pamplona now stands in the location of the former bastion of San Anton, for this reason the auditorium is known as “El Baluarte” (The bastion) (6). This modern building is the work of three architects: Francisco Mangado, Alfonso Alzugaray and Juan Miguel Otxorena.
The Paseo de Sarastate (7) was defined as such in the 19th century, when it was incorporated into the urban layout with the construction of various buildings, after the approval of the first urban extension of Pamplona. Several statues are located there, brought from the Royal Palace of Madrid, and which represent Navarre kings. Moreover, in 1929 a large iron lamp post was placed in the Paseo, although it was subsequently moved to the Plaza del Vínculo square, and can still be seen there today (8). In 1903, the Estatua de los Fueros or Statue of the Privileges of Navarre was installed here, paid for by the general public and designed by the architect Manual Martinez Ubago. The parliament of Navarre (9) is located at one end of the Paseo, the work of the architect Julian Arteaga. The finishing touches are given to the building with the reclining figures representing Law and Justice, since this building was in fact constructed as the Palace of Justice. The Bank of Spain (10), whose façade also looks onto the Paseo, was erected in 1925.
Opposite the Parliament is the Palace of Navarre (11), which is the seat of the Diputación or Council of Navarre. The building façade looking onto the Paseo de Sarasate is the work of the architect José de Naguisia, and the sculpture work, by Fructuoso Orduña, with niches containing sculptures of Sancho the Great and Sancho the Strong, and on the pediment gable there is a man from the Ribera river plain in the south and a man from the Mountain area in the north holding the arms of Navarre. Shortly after the Palace of Navarre was constructed, in 1896 Florencio Ansoleaga erected alongside it the General Archive of Navarre. The façade of this building includes various busts of illustrious personages from the history of Navarre. One of the three giant Sequoia redwood trees of Pamplona, brought from America, is to be found in the beautiful gardens there.
In 1928 Pamplona ceased to be considered a “fortified city” and could therefore obtain permission to develop outside the walled area. Part of these ramparts were then demolished to construct what is known as the Segundo Ensanche or second urban extension. The town plan was prepared by Serapio Esparza who designed a chequered street layout that was cut in two by a diagonal street, similar to Barcelona, which in the case of Pamplona corresponds to the street of Baja Navarra (12). When this second city extension was opened, between 1932 – 34 the façade of the palace of Navarre overlooking the avenue Avenida de Carlos III was erected, it was the work of the brothers Yarnoz Larrosa, who also erected the adjoining building which is now the seat of the Navarre Treasury (13). The Gayarre theatre (14) is located opposite these two buildings. This theatre façade, built in 1839 by José Nagusia, formerly closed off the Plaza del Castillo. However, when the Avenida de Carlos III was opened up, the theatre moved to its present location, but maintaining the same façade.
One of the principal architects to work in Pamplona was Victor Eusa (1894 – 1979). You can see some examples of his works at the junction of the Avenida de Roncesvalles with the Calle San Ignacio and the Calle Bergamin (15). Here you will find, at number 22 San Ignacio the “Casa Uranga” (1922) a building designed in the regional style, similar to number 1 Calle Bergamin (1924). In the “Vasco Navarra” (1924) building at number 1 San Ignacio street, academicism is mixed with the Viennese architecture of the beginning of the century. In the building “La Aurora” (1950), you can see the evolution of Eusa’s work whereby, after the civil war, he abandoned the influence of the expressionists and the Viennese school and became more academic. You can contemplate the work of Eusa in the square of Principe de Viana 3 (16), in the Calle Fernández Arenas 4 (17), in the Calle Sangues 26, where he constructed the school of the Maristas religious order in 1955 (18), in the Seminary of San Miguel (1936) (19) in the Casa de Misericordia (20) in the school Calasanz (1926) (21) in the park of the Media Luna or the Monumento a los Caídos (Monument to the fallen) amongst others.
If you walk along the Avenida de San Ignacio, you will reach the square of Principe de Viana where you can go down the Calle Sanguesa until you reach the square of the Plaza de la Cruz. In the centre, you will find a forged iron cross, the work of Constantino Manzana (1932). The parish church of San Miguel (22) is located in this square, and in 1950 Victor Eusa also collaborated in this project. This church was erected to house the reredos of the cathedral of Pamplona, and it is well worth a visit to see this work, which dates back to 1597 and is designed along the lines of the reredos at El Escorial. The dome is decorated with frescos by the Valencian artist Ramón Stolz Viciano, who also painted the dome of the Monument to the Fallen.
If you go along the Calle San Fermin, you will come back to the Avenida de Carlos III, the last section of this avenue has recently become a pedestrian area. To the left is the New Market (23), built in 1947 to supply the second urban extension or Segundo Ensanche and opposite you there is the square, plaza de Conde Rodezno (24), constructed between 1942 and 1960 to a very severe classicist design in order to form a unit with the Monument to the Fallen (1940) which presides over the square and closes off the end of the avenue of Carlos III. The temple and its surroundings were designed by Victor Eusa, when the architect’s style was totally orientated towards academicism. Today the Monument to the Fallen is used as an exhibition room for avant-garde art. At the entrance to the square, just in front of the rectangular pond that divides the area into two, there is a sculpture by Jorge Oteiza, various works by this famous artist are to be found adorning different areas of Pamplona.
Between 1927 and 1934, the garden – city project was tried out in Pamplona, in the residential area of Argaray (25) where a series of chalets were erected following the example of the residential area of Viso del Marques in Madrid.
From the fifties onwards, new districts were created in Pamplona, such as the one of San Juan (26) considered as the third urban extension. In the sixties, the districts of Iturrama (27) and Ermitagaña (28) were formed and the districts of San Jorge and Echavacoiz were consolidated. The city has undergone a process of modernisation, with an improved communications network. In 1973 the airport of Noain started to operate with scheduled flights. In 1980 Pamplona and the Japanese town of Yamaguchi signed a twinning agreement and, to celebrate this event, in 1997 the Japanese park of Yamaguchi (29) was inaugurated. In 1993 the Planetarium of Pamplona was constructed in this same park. The universities have also contributed to the city’s modernisation process. In 1952 the University of Navarre was founded and, in 1987 the Public University of Navarre opened its doors. These two universities, together with other institutions such as the Planetarium, the New Archive and Library and the Auditorium, have all come together to offer citizens a dynamic cultural life.