3. Historic city of Toledo
Toledo was a Roman
municipium, the capital of
the Visigothic Kingdom, a
fortress of the Emirate of
Cordoba, an outpost of
the Christian kingdoms
fighting the Moors and, in
the 16th century, the
temporary seat of
supreme power under
Charles V, Toledo is the
repository of more than
2,000 years of history.
4. • Its masterpieces are the
product of
heterogeneous
civilizations in an
environment where the
existence of three major
religions – Judaism,
Christianity and Islam –
was a major factor.
5. Historic Walled town of Cuenca
Built by the Moors in a defensive
position at the heart of the Caliphate of
Cordoba, Cuenca is an unusually well-
preserved medieval fortified city.
Conquered by the Castilians in the 12th
century, it became a royal town and
bishopric endowed with important
buildings, such as Spain's first Gothic
cathedral, and the famous casas colgadas
(hanging houses), suspended from sheer
cliffs overlooking the Huécar river.
Taking full advantage of its location, the
city towers above the magnificent
countryside.
8. University and Historic Precinct of
Alcalá de Henares
Founded by Cardinal
Jiménez de Cisneros in the
early 16th century, Alcalá
de Henares was the world's
first planned university city.
It was the original model
for the Civitas Dei (City of
God), the ideal urban
community which Spanish
missionaries brought to the
Americas. It also served as
a model for universities in
Europe and elsewhere.
9.
10. Monastery and Site of the Escurial,
Madrid
Built at the end of the 16th
century on a plan in the
form of a grill, the
instrument of the
martyrdom of St Lawrence,
the Escurial Monastery
stands in an exceptionally
beautiful site in Castile. Its
austere architecture, a break
with previous styles, had a
considerable influence on
Spanish architecture for
more than half a century. It
was the retreat of a mystic
king and became, in the last
years of Philip II's reign, the
centre of the greatest
political power of the time
