Plaza del Fontán

Today, El Fontán is a rectangular street and square. Its name comes from the spring or fontán that filled the primitive lagoon that was located in this area. In the past, it was used as a playground, and today it is one of the points of the so-called Fontán street market and a catering area. Next to it is the covered market of El Fontán, dating from 1885.

In the early days of the city of Oviedo, it was a natural lagoon on the outskirts of the city, which was supplied by natural springs that sprang up in the area and quickly became a recreational area for the nobles of Oviedo.

During this time, the peasants, who lived on the outskirts of the city, came to this place to sell their products such as milk, vegetables, cheese or chickens; with this incessant movement, craftsmen such as blacksmiths, basket makers, etc. soon appeared. Due to the fact that the lagoon was beginning to represent a sanitary problem because of its unhealthiness, it was decided to drain it on 19 August 1523. In 1559 the work was completed with the construction of a washhouse and a fountain.

Two adjoining squares are laid out, that of Daoiz and Velarde, where several Baroque palaces are located, and the porticoed space that is the Plaza del Fontán itself.

Article obtained from Wikipedia article Wikipedia in his version of 21/05/2022, by various authors under the license Licencia de Documentación Libre GNU.