Plaza de la Corredera

The space the square occupies today was part of the Muslim Axerquía and during the Middle Ages was used for horse races and public executions. The name Corredera comes from those races. There was also a prison on the site from an early date.

At the end of the 16th century a playhouse (corral de comedias) was built on the site of that prison, the work of the master Juan de Ochoa, which operated for much of the 17th century until an ecclesiastical order suppressed it. The square continued to be used as a bullring, a use still recalled by the name of the nearby Calle Toril, and as a stage for autos-da-fé: it is estimated that between 1639 and 1739 some 40 people were executed there.

The definitive turn came in 1683, when the magistrate Francisco Ronquillo Briceño commissioned the architect Antonio Ramos Valdés to enclose the square and give it the arcaded rectangular form it keeps today, following the model of the Castilian main squares. The works lasted until 1687 and left a rectangle of 113 by 55 metres, some 5,525 square metres, with arcades on the ground floor and wooden balconies on the upper façades.

Over the centuries, the building that had served as prison and magistrate's house changed use several times: it was a hat factory in the 19th century before becoming a food market, the seed of the one that still operates in the square today. La Corredera combines that past with a daily life of concerts, themed markets and tapas.

The square can be covered quickly, but it is worth noting several elements that explain why it is a unique case in Andalusia. These are the points worth finding before sitting down at a terrace.

The perimeter of the square is formed by arcades of semicircular arches supporting three storeys of dwellings with wooden balconies. Each owner bought in their day the metres of façade that corresponded to them, which explains the uniformity of the ensemble despite being buildings erected separately.

On the ground floor of the former prison and magistrate's house building operates the Corredera Municipal Market, with about 18 stalls including fishmongers, butchers, greengrocers, a spice shop, a pickle shop, a florist and a bar. It should not be confused with the Mercado Victoria, Córdoba's gastronomic market, which is in the Jardines de la Victoria, in another part of the city.

In July 2025 the City Council announced the first comprehensive renovation of the market in four decades to fix damp and structural problems, with tendering planned for late 2025 or early 2026. The plan is to carry it out in phases so the stalls stay open during the works.

You enter the rectangle through two main arches, the Arco Alto, towards Calle Espartería, and the Arco Bajo, towards Calle Socorro. They are the historic entrances to the enclosure and still mark the most common routes in from the rest of the historic centre.

The building that closes one side of the square was built in 1584 under the direction of Juan de Ochoa as a prison and residence of the magistrate, and was rebuilt in 1986 to a design by the architect Arturo Ramírez. Today its ground floor houses the market and the upper floor the Centro Cívico Municipal Centro, owned by Córdoba City Council.

The square itself is an open public space, with no hours or access control: you can cross it or sit in it at any time of day.

The food market is different, as it does have commercial hours: Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 15:00 and Friday and Saturday from 8:00 to 15:30, closed on Sundays.

The bars and taverns under the arcades open outside those hours and into the night, although each establishment sets its own. Worth bearing in mind if the plan is to combine the visit to the square with a drink or dinner.

The square is in the heart of the historic centre, in the Axerquía district, within the pedestrian area, so walking is the most convenient way to get there.

From the Mosque-Cathedral it is about 10 to 15 minutes' walk through the streets of the historic centre, a stroll that also takes you across other squares and shopping streets of the centre.

For those arriving by car, the nearest car parks are Aparcamientos de Córdoba, on Calle Conde de Robledo, a couple of blocks from the square, and Aparcamientos La Ribera, on the Paseo de la Ribera, a little further away but also within the historic centre.

Plaza de la Corredera is usually left out of routes that focus only on the Mosque, so the best way to put it in context is with someone who explains on the ground why this square is different from all the others in Andalusia.

The Free Tour of Córdoba covers the historic centre in about 2 hours, with stops in squares like this one, and works on a voluntary tip of 10 to 15 euros per person at the end of the visit.