Spain, Toledo. City in the center of the country

Only at a superficial glance and very far from Spain seems the same. But so for centuries it has developed that it consists of different and little similar to each other historical territories. They are different, but all together they are Spain. Toledo is one of the most famous of its historical provinces. Its capital of the same name with the whole province names more than two thousand years. It is certainly difficult to determine the age, but in modern outlines the city was founded by the Roman commander Mark Fulvius for a couple of centuries before Christ. After that, more than twenty centuries passed by a very eventful history, 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 of Toledo, Spain. Features and attractions

The capital of the province is located south-west of Madrid, not far from the center of the country. The whole fireworks of historical events were very clearly reflected in the appearance of that city, which today appears to our gaze. Above all else, the visual authenticity of history, the degree of preservation of the historical center of the city is surprising here - it has hardly changed since the Middle Ages. Perhaps this is not a unique case for a country like Spain. Toledo also surpasses the preservation of the medieval architectural urban environment, many of its other, no less ancient and famous cities. But the concentration on a relatively small area of architectural monuments Toledo in the world has not many competitors. As in other Spanish cities, here in many places there are manifestations of Islamic and Jewish spiritual traditions. But in general, here dominates the architecture of the Gothic style, the birthplace of which is Spain. Toledo has its brightest example, this is the main city cathedral of Santa Maria of the thirteenth century. Of course, this is not the only Catholic church in the city, no less significant are the ancient churches of San Roman and Santiago de Arrabal. A fine example of Gothic fortifications is the Toledo Alcazar fortress. The last battles in it thundered in the twentieth century, during the Civil War in Spain. The most ancient monuments in the city are the ruins of an amphitheater of the Roman Empire and a 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.

The El Greco Museum. Toledo, Spain

One of the main cultural attractions of Toledo is the El Greco Museum. Toledo had an undoubted influence on the work of this brilliant Spanish painter. By completeness of the collection of paintings of the master in the museum is second only to the famous Madrid Prado. In Toledo, one could already go for the sake of the El Greco museum alone.