Spain, Toledo. City in the center of the country

Only at a superficial glance and very far awaySpain seems the same. But this has been the case for centuries that it consists of different historical territories that are not similar to each other. They are different, but all together they are Spain. Toledo is one of its most famous historical provinces. Its capital of the same name with the entire province of the name of more than two thousand years. Reliable age is difficult to determine, but in modern terms the city was founded by the Roman commander Marc Fulvius a couple of centuries before Christ. After that, more than twenty centuries passed, a history very rich in various events, through which the country, now known to us as Spain, passed. Toledo was always very close to the center of all historical cataclysms, numerous wars, the conquest of the country by the Moors, their expulsion from the Pyrenees and the subsequent reconquest.

City Toledo, Spain. Features and Attractions

The capital of the province is located southwestMadrid, near the center of the country. All the fireworks of historical events very clearly reflected in the appearance of the city, which today appears to our eyes. The visual authenticity of the history, the degree of preservation of the historical center of the city surprises here most of all - it has not changed much since the middle ages. Perhaps this is not a unique case for a country like Spain. Toledo also surpasses in safety of the medieval architectural urban environment its many other, no less ancient and famous cities. But in concentration on a relatively small area of ​​architectural monuments Toledo in the world has few competitors.

As in other Spanish cities, here in manyplaces are visible manifestations of Islamic and Jewish spiritual traditions. But in general, the architecture of the Gothic style dominates here, and Spain is its birthplace. Toledo has its brightest example; it is the main cathedral of Santa Maria of the thirteenth century. Of course, this is not the only Catholic church in the city, the ancient churches of San Roman and Santiago de Arrabal are no less significant. A wonderful example of Gothic fortifications is the fortress of the Toledo Alcazar. The last battles in it thundered in the twentieth century, during the Spanish Civil War. The most ancient monuments on the territory of the city are the ruins of the amphitheater of the times of the Roman Empire and the well-preserved aqueduct of the same historical period. The oldest monument of Jewish culture throughout Western Europe is the building of the twelfth-century synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca. Islamic culture is represented by the Mosque del Cristo de la Luz.

El Greco Museum. Toledo, Spain

One of the main culturalToledo's attractions is the El Greco Museum. Toledo had an undoubted influence on the work of this brilliant Spanish painter. In terms of completeness of the collection, the collection of paintings by the master in the museum is second only to the famous Madrid Prado. In Toledo, it would be possible to go for the sake of the El Greco Museum alone.