There are many tourist attractions
in Zaragoza, where the SERAM-CIR Joint Congress will be held.
The
city itself has traces of different civilizations and cultures that once
flourished in the site.
From
Roman times the theater stands out, currently a place for
audiovisual shows, also the walls and Forum museum, as well as the thermal
baths, all of them monuments very close to each other, located in the old
area of the city. The stone bridge over the Ebro River, restored and in perfect
condition is nowadays a sample of the architectural advances in Rome.
In
that same area, the jewish baths are found, perfectly preserved.
From
Moslem times, the most representative monuments are the Aljaferia
palace, current seat of the Aragon Court and the Zuda tower, next to the
Roman Walls, that used to be an old surveillance tower.
But,
definitely, the most representative monument in our city is the
Basílica del Pilar, home of the Patron of the Hispanic world. Most
outstanding is the main altarpiece, work of Damian Forment, from 1509, the
choir and paintings by Goya, as well as the pilarista museum where the
cloak and jewels of the Virgin are displayed.
But
we must not forget that Zaragoza is a city of two Basílicas, the Cathedral of the Saviour, known
as La Seo, is another of the gems that is a must to visit. Built over the
remnants of an old mosque, one of its lateral facades, mudejar style is
remarkable, and the tapestry museum is one of the best in the world. It
has been recently restored and visitors can enjoy its splendor.
Zaragoza is also a city that lends itself to walk its streets, with long
promenades and avenues displaying interesting buildings and palaces.
Walking along Paseo de la Independencia (Independence Promenade) one
reaches the Plaza Basilio Paraíso, seat of the old School of Medicine
and Sciences, where Don Santiago Ramón y Cajal, our Nobel prize
awardee taught his lessons. Through Alfonso Street we come to Plaza de
las Catedrales (Plaza of the Cathedrals), where the building of the
typically Aragonese Architecture Guild is located and on one of the
streets close by, in another old Aragonese palace, at plaza San Felipe,
the Museum of the famous sculptor Pablo Gargallo is found,
where among his work, “The Prophet” is most representative.
All
of these cultural and tourist attractions are some of the motivations,
besides our Congress itself, to come to Zaragoza in May, 2006.
