From Policía Nacional to Paseo de los Álamos

A unique perspective on “Amor y Dolor [Image:KJQ]

Yesterday morning I was at the Policía Nacional HQ in Oviedo--don't worry, it was just to take care of some tedious immigration business.

Policía Nacional Building (see below) [Image: KJQ]

The Oviedo structure doesn’t loom like Washington’s blocky, concrete FBI headquarters. Built in the late 1940s, it’s a post-war Spanish civic structure: stone-facade, symmetrical, and formal without being over-imposing.

Leaving the building, I passed a circular fountain and beds of red and white begonias (Oviedo is big on flowers and they take care of them).

Begonias, I believe (Image: KJQ)

Fountains fascinate me (Image: KJQ)

Moving on toward Campo de San Francisco, my exit was flanked by a pair of sculptures, “Amor y Dolor” (“Love and Pain”), created in 1925 by Oviedo sculptor Víctor Hevia Granda with marble work by Cabal.

Amor y Dolor (which is which, though?) [Image:KJQ]

The Campo de San Francisco [park] occupies about 90,000 m² in the city center. It began as the orchards of a Franciscan convent in the 13th century.

Even in summer, much of Oviedo stays green

In 1534, the land was transferred for public use, and by the 19th century, it had been developed into the park we know today. The Paseo de los Álamos—“Poplar Promenade”—runs straight and shaded, lined with benches and symmetrical rows of trees.

Paseo de los Álamos

The fountains in Campo de San Francisco aren’t symbolic in a poetic sense. They are architectural and hydrological features—built in the 19th century to decorate, organize, and supply water—while also elevating the park’s sense of place and atmosphere.

It’s an easy walk from formal civic space to historic greenery, with each section carrying its own character.

MORE TO COME!