Antigua Audiencia Civil / Oficina de Turismo

The Former Civil Courthouse and Public Scribes building, also known as the Casa del Pópulo (or House of the Populo), is a magnificent two-story building with a 16th-century plateresque façade. An old wall had to be demolished in the building process, and years later, a balcony was added next to the adjacent Jaén Gate to include a chapel with a canvas of the image of the Virgin of the Populo. The canvas no longer exists, but the balcony does, which rests on a decorated bearing arch. The ground floor is accessed from the Plaza del Pópulo (or Populo square) through six doors, each of which corresponded to a Scribe. The upper floor was dedicated to the courthouse, accessed from the rear. The construction perfectly represents the period of greatest splendour in the city and is in one of the most charming tourist points of Baeza, the Plaza del Populo. The building today houses the Baeza Tourist Office, which is usually the travellers’ starting point of their route. Here tourists can enjoy a great work of the Renaissance city besides collecting the always useful map and receive valuable advice from the staff.