Mercado Central de Zaragoza
An iron-and-glass market hall in the manner of Paris, the Modernista heart of old Zaragoza.
At a glance
The Mercado Central de Zaragoza, also called the Mercado de Lanuza, stands on the Avenida de César Augusto on the edge of the old town. It was designed by the Aragonese architect Félix Navarro Pérez and opened in 1903, replacing the open-air market that had been held on the Plaza del Castillo. Navarro had absorbed the new architecture in Paris, at the Universal Exhibition of 1889, and he gave Zaragoza a hall of iron, glass and ceramic that counts among the principal Modernista works of Aragon.
Key facts
- Location: Avenida de César Augusto, Zaragoza
- Architect: Félix Navarro Pérez
- Designed: 1895; opened 1903
- Style: Spanish Modernismo, inspired by Les Halles in Paris
- Today: a working market, restored and reopened in 2020; National Historic Monument
History
For centuries Zaragoza’s market had been held in the open air. In the 1890s the Sociedad Nuevo Mercado de Zaragoza set out to replace it with a covered hall, and it commissioned Félix Navarro, who drew up the design in 1895. Navarro had visited the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1889 and come home steeped in the new iron architecture; the Halles of Paris were his model.
The market opened in 1903. Its iron, glass and ceramic structure was made by the Zaragoza firm La Constructora, a technical novelty for the city, and it brought the light, airy market hall of northern Europe to the banks of the Ebro.
After more than a century of use the building was given a full restoration by the city council, and it reopened in February 2020, keeping its heritage value while bringing it up to modern standards. It is protected as a National Historic Monument and remains a living market in the heart of Zaragoza.
What you see
The great roof is the point of the building: a single iron-framed hall lit through long bands of glass, so the market floor below is bright and open. The structure is left frankly on show, the lessons of Paris translated into a Spanish setting.
Outside, two Modernista façades face the city, mixing the new materials, iron and glass, with stone, brick and ceramic and a few neo-classical touches. After the dim, crowded markets of the past, Navarro’s hall must have felt like stepping into the future, and it still gives Zaragoza one of its most cheerful interiors.
Practical information
- Open: as a working market; closed Sundays and some afternoons
- Cost: free to enter and walk through
- Best for: the iron-and-glass roof and the Modernista façades
- Time needed: 30 minutes
Getting there
The market is on the Avenida de César Augusto in central Zaragoza, beside the Roman walls and a short walk from the Basílica del Pilar.
Nearby
- Basílica del Pilar — the great pilgrimage church on the Ebro
- La Seo — the cathedral of Zaragoza
- Roman walls of Caesaraugusta — the ancient defences beside the market
Sources
- Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza — Mercado Central
- Mercado Central de Zaragoza — history of the building
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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