TOLEDO - ONE OF THE ENTRANCES TO THE CITY
Of course, everyone has a list of ‘must-see’ cities in Europe – Paris, London, Venice, Budapest, Prague and Krakow being some obvious choices of mine. However, high on my list, is Toledo in Spain.
Toledo is, quite simply, sublime! There really is no other word for it. I could try gorgeous or beautiful – but both seem inadequate words to describe a quite unique city. Indeed, Toledo (a UNESCO Heritage site since 1986) is one of the cities of Spain that restores one’s faith in the country.
I say ‘restores one’s faith’ because many of the cities in Spain (particularly on the coast) have suffered terribly from the rampant, careless building of the past thirty years. All too often, a city (or town) will have a lovely ‘part’, some fabulous buildings or some wonderful squares. However, taken as a whole, one is left offended by the rest…
Toledo in Spain is different. The ‘whole’ is extraordinary and has been preserved superbly. It is stunning – and I challenge you not to be utterly seduced by it!
Oddly enough, one of the reasons that the Spanish city of Toledo is so well preserved is because it was sidelined by Madrid, when the latter became the effective capital of Spain. This occurred in 1561 when King Philip 11 moved his court to nearby Madrid. Prior to that, the capital of Spain had been (briefly) in Seville but otherwise, after the Reconquista, in Toledo.
The consequence of moving the capital of Spain to Madrid was momentous for Toledo, in that it reduced Toledo’s status to that of little more than a provincial town. Suddenly, it ceased to be a place of power and influence within Spain. Worse still, for the populace, was the loss of economic power. This stunted Toledo’s growth over the centuries and, fortunately for us all, left its medieval character almost completely intact.
So, if you want to see an almost perfectly preserved medieval city then Toledo is the place to go. It is packed with unspoilt historic buildings, fortifications (do not miss the Alcázar), a wonderful cathedral, convents, churches (some converted from synagogues and mosques) and museums. All of these are reached through narrow cobbled streets that wind their way around and up into the city.
Meanwhile, Toledo is notable for some truly lovely shops with some of the finest displays of goods that I have seen. Indeed, some of the shops are nearly art forms on their own account. This makes an interesting contrast to the historic buildings – albeit one that is potentially dangerous to the pocket!
That said, Toledo is principally known now for marzipan and, of course, for its past manufacture of quality steel for knives and swords. Indeed, between the 15th and 17th centuries Toledo’s reputation for its steel weapons was unrivalled throughout Europe.
In fact, what makes Toledo really interesting historically is that it was, for some time, an interface between the intellectual achievements of Islam and Western Europe.
By good fortune, the precious libraries of Toledo survived the conquest of Toledo by Christian King Alfonso VI in 1085. This, and a good deal of toleration between Christians, Jews and Muslims, allowed Toledo to quickly became a European centre for the translation of Arabic texts into Latin – at the time, the universal, educated language of Western Europe.
Indeed, under some enlightened rulers, most notably Alfonso X (The Wise), enormous numbers of often ‘lost’ scientific and philosophical works from antiquity were translated. This was complemented by the translation of new ideas and technology from the far more advanced Arab world. This knowledge was then gradually dispersed around Europe – helping to blast Western Europe out of the Dark Ages.
Toledo, of course, is pretty much in the centre of Spain and only some 70 km south west of Madrid. The city itself stands on a hill with the River Tagus on three sides, thus providing a naturally strong defensive position.
The Spanish city of Toledo only has some 82,000 people, so it is not a large city and can be enjoyed easily. However, its proximity to Madrid and reputation as a city of exceptional beauty does mean that you need to chose your time to visit carefully, if you are not to be ‘swamped’ with tourists. Oddly enough, the height of summer during the week is a good time (as the Spanish tend to head off to the beaches – rather than holiday inland!).
That said, like a lot of interior Spain, the Spanish city of Toledo can suffer from extremes of temperature. The summers can be very hot (it was over 39 degrees when we were there) and the winters can be cold. Snow is not unknown!
However, irrespective of the weather – Toledo is a fabulous place to visit and will stay long in your memory as a very special place in Spain.
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