It's close to everything , shaped like a natural, gigantic trapezoid, covering 90.000 square meters . Its edges practically align with the city's central coordinates, and its interior holds countless anecdotes from its vibrant old age, which is more like a continuous youth of abundant nature. Its urban corners have been tamed and stylized to the fullest extent, in harmony with a forest that has never grown wild. The park unfolds in an orderly and civilized manner, clean and lush.
Oviedo finds in this natural space a basic and essential representation of the green meadows that surround it on all sides. As if the center of Oviedo had incurred a debt to the forest landscape, it becomes at the same time a reserve of trees such as carbayones or oaks, truly emblematic of the area.
The park owes its name to the old Franciscan convent that originated in this ancient forest , where, according to legend, Saint Francis of Assisi rested during his pilgrimage to Santiago. Part of the forest was occupied by a garden cultivated by the monks, and the entire surrounding area, which formed the boundary of the city, belonged to the convent until the confiscation of church property in 1816, when it was donated to the University, which transformed it into a botanical garden.
This academic activity has left a profound mark on the park today. In fact, 127 different species of trees and shrubs can be seen , in addition to 23 varieties of crops. 0,5% come from Africa, 14% from the Americas, 3% from Australia and Oceania, 9% from the Mediterranean region, the Balkans, and Asia Minor, 16% from Europe, and 3% from Spain. Furthermore, eleven of the species are considered typical of the Asturian landscape.
Since 2014, visitors can enjoy a statue in the park honoring Mafalda , the famous character created by Quino, who has fans all over the world. You can take a picture sitting next to the irreverent Mafalda and keep a nice souvenir of your visit to the Oviedo park.
Mafalda in Oviedo
Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known by his pseudonym Quino, … Read more
Pedestrian paths , perfectly paved, run through the middle . Walkways like Paseo de los Curas, Paseo del Bombé, Paseo de la Herradura, and Paseo de los Alamos are already part of the city's collective memory. The fountains, the bandstand, a work by De la Guardia (1887), the King's Chair, on whose backrest was engraved the name of King Charles III, and the Romanesque portal of the Church of San Isidoro...
The most famous son of Oviedo, Leopoldo Alas (Clarín) , surely walked through the park on more than one occasion , since the presence of his main work, La Regenta, assaults his readers from all over the world when they enter the most well-kept forest of Vetusta.
As has been said, the park is fundamentally a place for recreation and walking, but also a festive and gastronomic tent, for few or many. In it we can discover a tourist eating a sandwich or a whole crowd of citizens with their country tablecloths.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
