‘The City of the Three Cultures’ - A walk in Toledo city -

Toledo, World Heritage

¡Hola amigos! ¿Dónde habéis pasado las vacaciones de verano?

How was your summer holiday? Did you travel to other countries?

What do you know about the city of Toledo?

- I went to Toledo (in Spain) and it was so beatiful and interesting that I took some pictures to show you.

Before that, here is some basic information:

-      > Toledo is an unique place in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of Castilla La Mancha (1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain).

-      > Castilla La Mancha has 5 provinces: Albacete, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, Cuenca and Toledo (both last cities declared World Heritage by the UNESCO).

-       > Population: 84. 019

-       >  Area: 232. 1 km

-       >  River: Tajo

-       >  It was the former capital of Spain in the Visigoth era.

-      >  Traditional sword-making and Steel-working center since 500 BC. It came to the attention of Rome when used by Hannibal in the Punic Wars. It was standard source of weaponry for Roman Legions.

-      > Its School of Translators opened the city and became the capital of European culture, of splendid intellectual activity, which promoted the King Alfonso X the Wise.

-       ‘Don Quijote de La Mancha’  was written by the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes in 1605. 

      The novel chronicles the adventures of a noble knight in La Mancha.

It is considered the most influential work of literature from the Spanish literaty canon. It appears high on international lists of the greatest Works of fiction ever published and it is cited as the best literary work ever written.

Toledo is well known for its peaceful historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures, so it is known as ‘The City of the Three Cultures’. This tolerance and respect among different cultures was a historic and very important event which Toledo is proud.

It offers an immense cultural heritage, spectacular natural areas, delicious gastronomy, delicate crafts and ancestral popular festivities.

The handmade art of ‘Yesería’, is a technique of carving plaster for decorating buildings.

Walking through the streets, if you are lucky, you can see a real workshop.

Un típico ‘patio toledano’

La Catedral de Santa Maria

Museo de la Iglesia de Santo Tomé. You can visit some pictures of the painter, sculptor and architect EL GRECO; where is his finest work  The Burial of the Count of Orgaz

Handmade crafts about Don Quijote y Sancho Panza, etc. Artesanías

 Jewish symbols in the streets. Símbolos del paso de la cultura judía por Toledo

Arquitectura árabe

A ‘Botijo’ is used in summer to keep cool water

Toledo is well known for working wrought iron and other metals. 

The arsenal, weapons and armors of The Lord of the Rings film were made in Toledo

 Plaza de Zocodover is the heart of the city

 Tajo river around Toledo city





 Do you know El camino de Santiago in Galicia? In Toledo you can walk La ruta del Quijote!

 The Queen Isabel I de Castilla.

‘Isabel La Católica’ was the mother of Juana de Castilla y Catalina de Aragón (Catherine of Aragon) who was queen of England from 1509 until 1533 as the first wife of King Henry VIII

Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, built by the Catholic Monarchs