Plaça dels Estels, Square with gardens in central Alicante, Spain
Plaza de los Luceros is a circular square at the junction of four avenues in Alicante. At its centre stands the Fuente de Levante, a monument built in 1930 by sculptor Daniel Bañuls: four horses at the base, an obelisk with four female figures representing the Hesperides, and a red star above. The sculpture is made of marble sand mixed with white cement.
The square was laid out in the early 20th century where two new avenues of Alicante's expansion crossed. In 1908 it was named Plaza de la Independencia, and in 1915 the council approved its urbanization. A 1929 competition for a fountain was won by Daniel Bañuls with the project "Levante"; the monument was built in 1930 and finished on 11 May 1931. In 1940 the name Plaza de los Luceros was adopted.
The name comes from the four "luceros" (stars) at the base of the fountain, adopted in 1940; the city chronicler Gonzalo Vidal Tur wrongly linked it to the Francoist anthem "Cara al Sol". The square hosts the mascletà during the Fogueres de Sant Joan and is where Hércules CF fans gather to bathe in the fountain after promotions.
The square connects directly to a tram stop equipped with elevators that serve different levels and link to various city destinations. Navigation throughout the space is straightforward, and the palm trees provide shaded areas that make visits comfortable in warmer months.
The fountain was dismantled on 3 October 2006 so the underground Luceros tram station could be built beneath the square; it was restored and the square renewed afterwards, then the fountain underwent another intervention in 2021.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,811 contributors worldwide.