From April 20 to October 12, 1992 Seville was home to the World Exhibition EXPO '92 in which 109 countries, 22 international organizations, the 17 autonomous regions of Spain and important manufacturers took part. The main theme ''Age of Discovery'' was to commemorate the 500 year anniversary of Colombus's voyage of discovery in 1492. The island of La Cartuja in the Guadalquivir river, north of the district of Triana, was chosen as the site for the exhibition and was linked to the old town of Seville by a monorail, a cablecar (telecabina) and two bridges.
The exhibition was to be a showpiece of modern architecture and some spectacular buildings were constructed: the different countries' pavilions such as the Japanese pagoda (the largest wooden building in the world), the British water pavilion, the Norwegian pavilion in the shape of a North Sea pipeline, the four pavilions on the themes of ''15th Century'', ''Sea journey'', ''Age of Discoveries'' (which actually burned down during the exhibition) and ''Present and Future'' - the viewing tower and spectacular bridges Alamillo and La Barqueta by Santiago Calatrava.
However, the centerpiece of the exhibition was the Royal Pavilion, the only old building on the island, the former Carthusian monastery Santa Maria de las Cuevas founded in 1401 in which Colombus planned his Atlantic voyage and was used as a ceramics factory by the Englishman Pickman from 1839 onwards. The old kilns can be seen in the Pickman museum.
Outcome of EXPO '92
On balance the outcome of the exhibition was positive for the organizers: the desired number of visitors was reached, the infrastructure was improved and jobs were created. Yet it is this which the critics of the exhibition dispute. They maintain that not enough long term jobs were created, the future use of the site had not been thought out and the cost of living in Seville has since risen noticably. Of the 76 national pavilions 26 have since been demolished: the four theme pavilions, the Spain pavilion, the buildings of the autonomous regions and two panoramic cinemas have been turned into an amusement park. The remaining national and commercial pavilions are slowly being transformed into the technology park ''Cartuja 93''.
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