Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square), San Sebastian (must see)

By September 1813, the French Commander, Louis Emmanuel Rey, was forced to surrender San Sebastian to British and Portuguese forces commanded by Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. Rey and his troops were allowed to leave with honors. The town was ravaged and burned for seven days. The town reconstruction was well underway by 1817.

Architect Pedro Manuel de Ugartemendía, one of the people most involved in the renaissance of San Sebastian, built the new Constitution Square (Plaza de la Constitucion) on the site, previously occupied by a square constructed by architect Hercules Torrelli in 1723.

The buildings surrounding the square have arched arcades of equal height on the ground floors. On the long sides of the square, there are 20 arches. Nine arches line the shorter sides. The arcaded buildings have three floors with balconies. Louvered double doors with numbers above each one of the windows line the balconies.

Once, Constitution Square was used for bullfights, and the numbered doors served as boxes for passionate fans. At the end of the square is the Neoclassical style former City Hall, now the Municipal Library. The new City Hall (Ayuntamiento) is housed in the old Gran Casino building constructed in 1887.

Nowadays, Constitution Square is home to terraced bars, cafes, and flower vendors. The most significant events and celebrations are hosted here. Tamborrada is a celebratory drum festival held every year on January 20. On Saint Thomas Day, there are stalls selling chistorra (a sort of cooked sausage) throughout the square.