Plaza de la Constitución and the Marquis of Casariego statue
Chapter 1/10 · Tapia de Casariego
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Welcome to Tapia de Casariego, a seafaring town in western Asturias, almost on the border with Galicia! We start in Plaza de la Constitución, which locals also call El Parque. This is a circular walk, on foot and almost flat, of a little over two kilometres: we will pass through the old centre, the La Guardia promenade, the harbour, the lighthouse island and the San Sebastián quarter, and we will finish right here.
Until the mid-19th century Tapia belonged to the municipality of Castropol. The man behind its independence was Fernando Fernández Casariego, born here in 1792 and died in Madrid in 1874. He made his fortune in Madrid and persuaded the Government to approve the new municipality in 1863. In 1872 he received the titles of Marquis of Casariego and Viscount of Tapia, and since 1916 the municipality has carried his surname. His bronze statue, by the Asturian sculptor Arturo Sordo, was unveiled in 1930.
The marquis also paid for the three buildings around the square, all by the architect Juan María Yáñez: the Town Hall, with the inscription saying it was built in 1864; the old primary schools, built between 1863 and 1865; and the secondary school, built in 1866 and 1867. Look at the medallions on the facades of the Town Hall and the school: they recall the bronze medal the project won at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878.
Now we take a few steps south, to the tall tower of the church of San Esteban, which rises behind the square.
Start · Tapia de Casariego