Plaza Portal de Elche (Warning: historical violence)

The plaza Portal de Elche, in Alicante

The plaza Portal de Elche is one of the most charming squares of Alicante, shaded by immense centuries-old ficus trees and animated by a kiosk of the nineteenth century. The Alicante audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this corner of paradise with its welcoming terraces, become an emblematic image of the town, and its much darker past as a square of executions.

The shaded square with centuries-old ficus trees

Here is a little square full of charm, as we like them. Is it for its kiosk of the nineteenth century, for its little tables that invite you to settle down and take your time, or for its immense centuries-old ficus trees that dispense a well-deserved shade? It is doubtless the combination of the three that has made the plaza Portal de Elche one of the emblematic images of Alicante. Yet, before becoming this little corner of paradise, the square had quite another reputation. It must be evoked with gravity: it was formerly nicknamed the plaza de las Horcas, the square of the gallows, because it is here that the condemned were executed. In 1811, death by hanging was forbidden in Spain, but it was replaced by an equally terrible torment, the garrotte, introduced under the reign of Joseph Bonaparte, whom the emperor his brother had made king of Spain. This method of capital punishment, also called strangling cord, provoked the strangulation of the condemned. Happily, these dark pages belong to the past, and the square has long since changed its face. Today, its great ficus trees, whose gnarled trunks and aerial roots impress, make it a haven of freshness much appreciated in the heart of the town, where you gladly sit down in the shade. A square of charm and a memory of another time, the plaza Portal de Elche is a fine stop of the discovery of Alicante.

What to see

Here you discover one of the most charming squares of Alicante, shaded by immense centuries-old ficus trees with gnarled trunks, embellished with a kiosk of the nineteenth century and welcoming terraces; become an emblematic image of the town, it formerly bore, more darkly, the name of plaza de las Horcas, the square of the gallows, where the condemned were executed. The plaza Portal de Elche is a haven of freshness of Alicante. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The plaza Portal de Elche lies in the heart of Alicante, reachable on foot. It is a public square freely accessible, shaded by great ficus trees and lined with terraces, pleasant at any hour of the day. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why was the plaza Portal de Elche of Alicante called plaza de las Horcas?

Because it is here that the condemned were formerly executed, which earned it the name of square of the gallows; after the prohibition of hanging in Spain in 1811, this dark past faded, and the square, shaded by immense centuries-old ficus trees and embellished with a kiosk of the nineteenth century, is today one of the emblematic images of Alicante.

Where is the plaza Portal de Elche in Alicante?

In the heart of Alicante, in Spain.