A Town Hall located in a unique enclave full of history

You are in the Plaza de la Constitución Square, a place steeped in history, witness to the wars fought by the Spanish and the Portuguese and, today, a place for remembering.

The building in front of you is the Town Hall and the New Town Hall. It is one of the town’s most important buildings, dating from the times of Carlos II, in the 17th century. Over the years, it has undergone several reconstructions and it had some new touches added at the beginning of the 20th century. It houses 11 columns in its arcades, most of which were built in a single piece.

Admire this building’s façade and stop to take a good look at its brand-new coats of arms, the original clock from three centuries ago, and its unique columns. Not only is this building used to govern the town, but its walls and columns brim with history on all sides.

This Town Hall is the headquarters of the Valencia de Alcántara City Council, located in the Plaza de la Constitución Square, right in the centre of the town. Opposite is the Church of the Incarnation, which can also be visited. The House of the Town Government is also located here.

This building has two main sections, each with its own history. The first section was the one that was initially used as the Town Hall; the second section was used for years as the Butcher’s Shop. This last room has columns from the original construction and it forms the current entrance to the building, through a century-old staircase. The clock on the façade dates from the same period, which was reconstructed from the original, built at the end of the 18th century. There are also another two coats of arms on the façade. One of them shows the Town’s coat of arms and another that of Emperor Carlos V on the old Butcher’s Shop.

Did you know that…

  • The old Butcher’s Shop was the only place in the town where meat was allowed to be sold and it was located next to the town hall to facilitate the inspections that it was subjected to.
  • In 1681, lightning struck the tower where the gunpowder was kept and this was one of the buildings that suffered the most damage.