The Palace Carousel in San Sebastián

One of my favorite places is San Sebastián, Spain.  The Palace Carousel is exceptionally special!  Not far from were we stay, The Hotel Londres y Inglaterra, it is fun to sit on one of the many benches lining the promenade and watch the children and families revel in the excitement of riding on the carousel.

This carousel is a replica of its 1900 predecessor and was set up in Donostia around 1998 to evoke that golden era in which the city offered a whole world of attractions to visitors.

This merry-go-round catches the attention of children and adults alike.  Spend some time observing every detail. 

 

With ponies, airplanes, dolphins, cars, swans, carriages, giraffes and tigers, 

 

the two levels of this carousel are imbued with the Belle Époque style, a period of peace and prosperity approximately between 1871 and 1914.

Under the hand-painted roof, we find representations of paintings by famous painters such as Van Gogh, Gauguin, Lautrec, Vallotton, Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Picasso, Sisley, Pisarro, Renoir and Degas, and at the very top of the carousel, a beautiful pony watches out across the city.  Artists of the mid 1800's to early 1900's representing styles such as Impressionism and modernism.

Degas 

Manet

 

The original Manet 

 Boating - 1874

 

Vallotton

Renoir

& 

Lautrec 

The original  Lautrec 

The Divan Japonais - 1892 

Cezanne

Monet
 

The original Monet 

 Studio Boat -  1874

Pissarro

 

Picasso

 The original Picasso  

Los Baineuses - The Bathers - 1918 

The carousel has been restored on several occasions to reflect each new era. In its earliest days the carousel had no electrical power and was manually rotated by an operator in the center. As the years progressed, electricity became the norm in towns and cities and at the beginning of the 1940s, when the Civil War had ended, a powerful electrical motor was installed. This system was active until the year 2000.

In 2008 the carousel was completely restored using the most up-to-date technology and a unique decorative style was brought in to reflect the city of San Sebastián. 

 

The carousel was painted by hand and features illustrations taken from old photos of Donostia at the turn of the century.

The sun setting on the large building which is the City Hall (with the carousel in the foreground).  It was once the home of the Gran Casino from the 1st of July of 1897 to 1924 when gambling was prohibited.  It was also built during the Belle Époque period.  

 

Everything around La Concha Bay's promenade so is captivating.  A special place to be.