Balcón del Concejo or Casas Consistoriales Bajas

The Balcón del Consejo (or Balcony of the Council) was positioned at a height to ensure a privileged viewing of the bullfighting celebrations, comedies and other shows held in the market square. The construction of this small building was completed in 1701, albeit with many difficulties along the way due to the decline Baeza suffered at the time. Before the Balcony of the Council existed, the celebrations used to be seen from an improvised wooden step; “unworthy of the authorities”, according to the chronicles of the time. The balcony features a glossy double gallery of semicircular arches and columns paired with Doric capitals. Several types of shields can be seen, some classic and others baroque. Over time, some items, such as a top yoke and a clock, were lost. Its name, Balcón del Concejo (or Balcony of the Council), is due to the fact that during part of the 19th century, it was the seat of the Council. More recently, it has served as the headquarters of the Tax Office and even as the INEM (employment service) office. It is currently the seat of the Agrupación Arciprestal de Cofradías de Baeza (or Arciprestal Group of Brotherhoods of Baeza).