Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures

The Pabellon de la Navegacion (or Navigation Pavilion) was inaugurated in early 2012 after several years of a total state of neglect. The original premises were built for the 1992 Universal Exposition that was held in Seville. Alas, the large majority of constructions and structures relating to the Exposition were simple left unattended...

While I wasn't here in 1992, friends of mine have told me many times that it was one of their favorite pavilions. And we all agree that it was a shame that all this work and investment were not reconverted for a better use.

But sometimes things change... :-)

And after such a long time it was finally decided to invest 10+ million euros on its restoration. What you can see in the pictures below is the final result. Isn't it gorgeous?

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 1

Once you enter the building, you discover how huge it is and the main role big empty spaces play within it. The first exhibition room is called 'El Mar de LEDs' or the 'LEDs Sea' and it's the largest one of the museum. Lights and sound effects guide you to the ocean, while several audiovisual stalls and screens tell you more about historic carachters related to the American colonies.

The main objective of this room is to explain you, through the voices of these carachters, how it was to live in ship of the 15th-16th centuries (e.g. a galleon). Most of the images are cartoons showing the museum's concern to involve children.

While the displays are very original and the content is most of the time informative and interesting, there is a small problem with the volume. I sometimes found hard to hear what I was listening to, since other people were playing around with the rest of the videos. It was confusing and I needed to be very concentrated.

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 2

The Navigation Pavilion is full of funny and cute details. You can listen to storms bouncing the boats, cannons firing during a battle and even open a box to smell tar, a material used to seal the ship's structure wooden boards.

The best part is the low lighting allowing to notice the LEDs effect as if there were light waves. It's difficult to explain if you don't see it, but the outcome is very cool.

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 3

As I was mentioning before, the building is wonderful both for its design and for the materials that have been used. The dark woods contrasts with the cold concrete creating a very nice balance. And the shape of the stairs simulate those of large boats, where space is very limited.

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 4

The second exhibit room displays a large mural designed and painted by Gabriel Pacheco. This piece was in the original building as well. The mural is about the navigation's history and the evolution that it has suffered from the 1600s until now.

A total of 6 scale models of old and modern boats can be seeing as well. This was, by far, my favorite part of the museum's content (I've always been a fan of scale models). Here, you have the chance to see in detail how this big, but at the same time fragile, constructions could manage to sail around the world.

However, I believe that the explanations could have been longer.

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 5

I won't go into the details of the third exhibit room because it's only for children and not worth mentioning it. Don't get me wrong, I love stuff for children (you can't imagine how many times I have been to Isla Magica, Seville's amusement park) but this part was really boring.

I've prefered to include here a picture with some details of the premises. On top of it, the day I was there the weather was absolutely splendid and the warm light entering through the windows was fantastic.

And all this in January! (I've told you, the weather in Seville is great).

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 6

The forth and final exhibition room contains a couple of big touchscreens offering a series of historical images about Sevile. As you navigate through the menus and images you will know more about the city's relationship with the Guadalquivir river. The content is scarce, in my opinion, and the organizers could have provided more information here.

Once you walk down the stairs and get to the ground floor, you walk towards the first exhibit room. It's funny how the stairs leading to it look like the runways used to access transatlantics.

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 7

One of my favorite parts of the visit was having a look at the building from outside. I love the reflections you can see on the water, even though the river is rarely calm as lots of people often practice rowing and canoing.

Pabellon de la Navegacion Pictures 8

On the last picture you can see an aerial view of the Navigation Pavilion from the top of the Schindler Tower. Great views!

Here's the complete set of photos that I took while I visited the Pabellon de la Navegacion for the first time. I hope you enjoy the slideshow by using the full screen mode.

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