I visited Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage City during my visit to Spain in December, 2014. I made a day trip to Toledo by using public transport from Madrid.
Toledo is an ancient city, located on the banks of the Tagus, set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. Toledo is known as the “Imperial City” because it was the main venue of the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Spain, and as the “City of the Three Cultures” for the cultural influences of Christians, Muslims, and Jews reflected in its history.
Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive monumental and cultural heritage.
Pictures below are from my day trip to the Imperial City of Spain.
The Toledo railway station is a Neo-Mudéjar style building opened in 1919 or 1920, replacing the original station built in 1858 with a simple functional design. The present station was designed to echo the historic architecture of the city. The clock tower of railway station imitates the style of Toledo church towers.Interior Hall of the Toledo Railway Station.The Fortress of Toledo (Alcázar de Toledo), a stone fortification located on the highest part of Toledo, was once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century. It was restored under Charles I and his son Philip II of Spain in the 1540s. Most of the Alcázar was rebuilt, or restored, between 1939 and 1957 after the Siege of the Alcázar during the Spanish Civil War.The Puente de San Martín (St Martin’s Bridge), a medieval bridge across the river Tagus, was constructed in the late 14th century. The Puente de San Martín features five arches, with the largest in the middle having a span of 40 meters, only very few bridges in the world had reached that mark until then.Fortified tower with Toledo’s Coat of Arms on the Puente de San Martín (St Martin’s Bridge), a medieval bridge across the river Tagus, constructed in the late 14th century.Welcome to Toledo! A beautiful Manhole Cover with Toledo’s coat of Arms.The main façade of Toledo Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church in Toledo. The cathedral of Toledo is one of the three 13th-century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain and is considered to be the magnum opus of the Gothic style in Spain. Construction was begun in 1226 and the last Gothic contributions were made in the 15th century when, in 1493, the vaults of the central nave were finished.The Palacio Arzobispal de Toledo or Archbishop’s Palace of Toledo, a palace located in front of the Cathedral and next to the City Hall, was built on land donated to the church.The Museum of Santa Cruz (Museo de Santa Cruz) a 16th century building, which was originally an important hospital (Hospital de Santa Cruz), eventually becoming a museum in the 19th century.The Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, a museum and former synagogue in Toledo. Erected in 1180, it is disputably considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing. Its stylistic and cultural classification is unique, as it was constructed under the Christian Kingdom of Castile by Islamic architects for Jewish use. It is considered a symbol of the cooperation that existed among the three cultures that populated the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.Narrow streets of an Ancient town of Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage site.Narrow streets of an Ancient town of Toledo!A view of Toledo Cathedral from one of the narrow streets of an Ancient town of Toledo.A view of Toledo Cathedral from one of the narrow streets of an Ancient town of Toledo.The El Greco Museum (Museo del Greco), celebrates the mannerist painter El Greco , who spent much of his life in Toledo.The Iglesia de El Salvador, a church completed in 1159. Although the church is small, it is an exceptional building, because it was the site of 4 successive constructions, one on other and so on. It’s a 12th-century church built on an 11th-century Taifa mosque, which was an expansion of a 9th-century Umayyad mosque and in turn on a Visigothic religious building. Also these civilizations reused 2nd-century Roman elements.The Church of San Idelfonso, a Baroque style church located in the historic center of the city of Toledo, also known as the Jesuit church and is consecrated to Saint Ildefonso of Toledo, patron of the city and Father of the Church.One of the beautiful streets of Toledo ancient city.Puerta del Sol is a city gate of Toledo, built in the late 14th century by the Knights Hospitaller. The medallion above the arch of the gate depicts the ordination of the Visigothic Ildephonsus, Toledo’s patron saint. The name of the gate comes from the sun and the moon that were once painted on either side of this medallion.Santiago del Arrabal church, built in 1245–48, on the site of an earlier building, possibly a mosque. Many characteristics of Islamic architecture, such as the horseshoe arch, have remained in the present building which is built in the Mudéjar style. The Puerta de Bisagra, a city gate of Toledo in the background.The Puerta de Bisagra, a city gate of Toledo, the structure was constructed in the 10th century, in the time of the Moorish Taifa of Toledo in Islamic Al-Andalus. The gate was the main entrance to the city and dates from the Moorish period.One of the entrance gates of the Alcázar of Toledo, a stone fortification located in the highest part of Toledo.
After exploring Toledo for a day, I took a train back to Madrid. During my stay in Spain, I also made another day trip to Segovia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can check-out my travel stories and picture by clicking picture below.
In May 2017, 23 days before I was going to complete 50 years, grabbed an opportunity and took an early retirement.. Picked up a backpack and traveling ever since.. Love to travel around the world, experience different culture, local cuisine & drinks .. and take pictures.. so far been to 108 countries and still counting...
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