Fantastical and whimsical, the Metropol Parasol rises 85 feet from the paved streets of Sevilla. Also known as Las Setas de la Encarnacion (incarnation’s mushrooms) Sevilla claims it to be Europe’s largest wooden structure.
The roof of the structure is crisscrossed by undulating walkways and provides a 360 degree view skimming over the expanse of Sevilla. Walking it inspires mild vertigo and some trepidation.
It is constructed of straight-grained Finnish birch braced and even, in some places, glued together. Architect Jurgen Mayer found his inspiration for the design in the vaults of the Cathedral of Seville and among the ficus trees in the nearby Plaza de Cristo de Burgos.
Long before and after its unveiling the Metropol swirled with controversy. And its final cost is rumored to be an astronomical 100 million euros, a sore point for many Sevillanos.
MedFlies 