Toledo

Crammed on a rocky hilltop, Toledo's cathedral, alcazar, synagogues and churches vie for space, crammed tightly together between its ancient walls, bounded by the swiftly flowing river Tagus below. The city boasts a rich concentration of Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments, a unique celebration of the cultural forces that have forged Spain's identity; it remains one of the most dynamic historic cities in Europe. Narrow, twisting lanes cleave to the hillside, the dusty streets themselves evoking a vibrant history.

The skyline of towers and battlements, ragged against the empty, glaring meseta sky, is as famous as it is dramatic; the powerful landscape, which charged the paintings of El Greco, is as thrilling today as it was when he painted it in the 16th century. El Greco lived and worked in Toledo for 37 years, and some of his most celebrated works are kept within the churches and galleries of the city.

Toledo Hotels

Hotel Santa Isabel - Santa Isabel, 24 Toledo 45002 Spain
Hostal del Cardenal - Paseo de Recaredo, 24 Toledo 45004 Spain
AC Ciudad de Toledo - Ctra de Circunvalacion 15 Toledo 45005 Spain
Posada de Zocodover (La) - Cordonerías, 6 Toledo 45001 Spain
Hesperia Toledo Hotel - Marqués de Mendigorría, 8-10 Toledo 45003 Spain
Eurico Hotel - c/ Isabel, 3 Toledo 45001 Spain
Parador de Toledo - Cerro del Emperador, s/n Toledo 45002 Spain
Hotel Cigarral el Bosque - Carretera De Navalpino S/N Toledo 45004 Spain
Hotel Sol - Azacanes, 15 Toledo 45003 Spain
Parador de Oropesa - Plaza Palacio, 1 Oropesa Toledo 45560 Spain
Hotel Abad Toledo - Real del Arrabal 1 Toledo 45003 Spain
Hotel Imperio - Cadena, 5 Toledo 45001 Spain

Whether you want to immerse yourself in great medieval architecture, absorb the intensities of one of the most powerful artists of Spain's Golden Age, or simply stroll through ancient streets, a day at least in Toledo is an absolute must for anyone travelling through central Spain. The city is easily accessible as a day trip from Madrid: by train from Madrid's Atocha station; by bus from Estacion Sur de Autobuses, Calle Canarias, 17, metro Palos de la Frontera.

Toledo was long prized as a strategic fortified settlement. In Roman times it was sufficiently important to mint its own coins, and had a fine circus and an aqueduct. The Visigoths made it their capital between the 6th and 8th centuries; when the country fell to the Moors, Toledo became part of the Cordoba emirate, and in 1012 capital of an independent Moorish kingdom. Under the rule of Islam, Moors, Jews and Christians (Mozarabs) lived peacefully within the city.

Religious tolerance remained a feature of the city even after the Christian takeover of Toledo in 1085, a key victory in the wars of the Reconquest. It was an atmosphere in marked contrast to the Moorish Christian campaigns bloodily raging further south. The peaceful coexistence of these cultures lasted for a remarkable length of time, and the city became a centre of religious, intellectual and artistic excellence, greatly patronized by royalty.

This tolerance was at its most liberal under Christian rule during the 13th century, and the stability it engendered formed the bedrock of a cultural dynamism unsurpassed in Spain: the wealth of art and architectural treasures that remain today bear witness to the prosperity and creative output of the time. Only in the 14th century, with increasingly zealous Christian powers determined to homogenize the culture throughout Spain, did this enriching cosmopolitanism come to an end. In 1355 there was a pogrom in the city, and in 1391 Jews worshipping at the synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca were massacred. Ruthless Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Kings, created the Inquisition in 1480, with specific orders brutally to root out all Jews, and in 1492 they ordered the mass expulsion of Jews from Spain. It was the end of a great era for Toledo.

Throughout the 15th and early 16th century Spanish monarchs continued to lavish money on the city: Ferdinand and Isabella built the monastery of San Juan, and Emperor Charles V rebuilt the alcazar. In 1561 the city's fortunes were overshadowed by the creation of Madrid, some 70 km north, as the nation's capital. Toledo was left as the seat of the primacy of Spain, as it remains today.

MADRID AND AROUND

Just about everything you will want to see in Toledo is inside the city walls. Its ancient narrow streets are best explored on foot. If you have arrived by bus or train, a second bus from either station will take you up to Plaza Zocodover, a small square high on the east side of town, the best place from which to get your bearings. The tourist office in the plaza can help you with accommodation and maps.

The plaza is triangular: from one corner Cuesta del Alcazar; from another, Calle de la Cuesta de las Armas heads back down the hillside, eventually leading to the road north out of the city. The mosque of El Cristo de la Luz is the main monument of interest in this part of town, so it is a good idea to visit it as you leave. From Plaza de Zocodover's third comer, Calle del Comercio plunges between dusty, old buildings into the heart of the city, offering the best route for leisurely exploration of some of Toledo's great monuments.

Calle del Comercio leads, through various changes of name, to Toledo Cathedral. Across the cathedral square stands the Ayuntamiento: follow the lane that runs to the right of it, and bear right again at the rear of the building. This will bring you to Calle de Santo Tome, off which both the Taller del Moro and the Church of Santo Tome are signposted.

Calle de Santo Tome becomes Calle del Angel and eventually leads to Calle de los Reyes Catolicos, a road rather than a lane, which cuts round the edge of the hillside. Straight ahead, at the junction of the two, stands the monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. Turn left here to explore the old Jewish quarter, including the synagogues of Santa Maria la Blanca and El Transito, and the Casa del Greco.

Toledo Attractions

Toledo Cathedral
Squeezed askew between crooked streets, Toledo Cathedral appears a confused mixture of styles, impressive in its bulky decorative elaboration rather than any overall harmony of design. Building began in 1227 following a French Gothic plan, but this was gradually obscured by countless additions up to the late 15th century.

Inside, however, the building has a grandeur and breadth of architectural and artistic interest that is wholly absorbing. Huge, massy pillars soar upwards, the black and white marble floor stretches across a vast space before you, and brilliant stained glass fills the nave with light. All parts of the cathedral are worthy of detailed exploration: one visit is not really enough to do it justice.

The choir, or coro, is split on two levels. The carving of the choir stalls is particularly interesting: the upper section dates from the 16th century, the work of Berruguetein (who also produced the sinous alabaster carving of the Transfiguration here), the lower shows a series of scenes depicting the conquest of Granada and dates from the late 15th century. Beneath the seats are everyday scenes of medieval life the harvesting of grapes, feeding the pigs, and lots of small animals sporting among foliage.

The sanctuary. Directly opposite the coro, the altarpiece is a mass of gold painted, carved wooden panels. Walk around the ambulatory behind it to view the famous Transparente.

The Transparente. A marble sculpture of the Virgin and Child is lit dramatically by a single shaft of light piercing the gloom. It is the cathedral's most theatrical sculptural gimmick a Baroque contrivance, the work of Narciso Tome in 1732. Turn round to see the precisely located window that creates this effect, along with figures of saints and disciples ascending into the light, with all the realism of a band of vaudeville characters.

You may start to notice hats dangling from the ceiling in surrounding chapels: it is customary that when a cardinal dies his hat is hung from a thread above his tomb and left there until it rots.

The chapter house. The antechamber to the Sala Capitular (chapter house) has a gorgeously decorated gold Mudejar ceiling and a doorway as intricate as tendrilled lace. Patterns reach an even greater intensity in the ceiling of the chapter house itself, which shines with gold. The walls are covered in 16th century frescoes of the powerful bishops of the cathedral, and there are two later portraits by Goya. Other frescoed scenes include the life of Christ and the Day of judgement.

The sacristy houses a small museum holding some major works of art including a series of paintings of apostles by El Greco, and his masterly "El Expolio" (Christ stripped of his robes). It is a typically energetic composition someone hews the cross, a tumultuous band of captors have Christ bound yet as the central figure he transmits a weighty calm that transcends the strife and turmoil of the scene. Also on display here are "Christ taken by Soldiers" by Goya and "Cardinal Borja" by Velazquez, along with work by Anthony Van Dyck, Jose de Ribera and Titian.

With so much good painting to look at, it is easy to miss out on the other treasures held here. Make sure you see the superb 13th century Limoges reliquaries, a marvellous 12th century statue of Santa Maria de Toledo with filigree gold and bejewelled crown, and a strangely graceful 13th or 14th century Virgin and Child.

Nuevas Salas: the New Galleries. Access via the sacristy. These rooms hold dozens of episcopal vestments, and a collection of paintings which include a particularly powerful "John the Baptist" by Caravaggio and pictures by El Greco and Bellini.

Ile treasury. A mass of gilt: the tesoro is the cathedral's jewellery box. Finely tooled chalices and sumptuous reliquaries along with a dazzling array of bejewelled archbishop's accessories all vie for attention beneath a heavy, gold painted ceiling. The massive 16th century monstrance on show here is still carried through the streets of Toledo at Corpus Christi celebrations.

The AIcazar Entrance to the rear of the building.)

A visit to the Alcazar is a must for anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War or military history; it also offers great views of Toledo. The massive fortress commands a powerful position overlooking surrounding hills. Rebuilt many times since the Middle Ages, the current building is the result of restoration work carried out after its near total destruction in 1936.

Still in the hands of the army, the Alcazar houses a chilling military museum. Room after room displays a deadly array of swords, guns, cannon, rifles and revolvers. In the crypt below are all you might need to reconstruct a picture of the Civil War: radio equipment, Harley Davidsons, explosives and even a bullet riddled copy of the Illustrated London News. Down here, too, are the dungeon like rooms that housed 600 women and children during the course of the eight week siege in the summer of 1936, including a makeshift, dingy hospital where two babies were born.

Most evocative of all is Colonel Moscardo's operational command room, left just as it was after the siege. Bullet holes pock the walls, the ceiling is falling in as if a bomb exploded only yesterday, and the original battered furniture is coated in masonry and dust from heavy shelling. Here you can hear a recording of the telephone conversation between Colonel Muscardo, who was in this room at the time, and his son Luis, held captive by Republican forces. A transcript of the conversation is on the wall.

The whole Alcazar museum is a celebration of the Nationalists who held cover here; unsavoury but strangely fascinating in its crude manipulation of emotions.

Museo de Santa Cruz

This was originally built as a hospital in the 15th century. The plateresque facade of the building is the work of Covarrubias. The rich art collection it houses today includes work by Berruguete, Ribera and El Greco the best of which is his "Altarpiece of the Assumption". The museum has 30 16th century Flemish tapestries; look out, too, for the especially arresting 15th century zodiacal tapestry, designed to hang in Toledo Cathedral. A massive battle pennant, which was flown by Don Juan of Austria at the Battle of Lepanto, hangs between two floors here, giving a tremendous sense of the scale and drama of ships engaged in warfare.

San Juan de los Reyes

Elaborately ornamented, this choice celebration of Isabelline Gothic was built by Ferdinand and Isabella in thanks for their victory over the Portugese at Toro in 1476. The monastery was intended to include their burial chapel: notice the emblems and monograms included in the decoration. The adjacent cloisters are an even more splendid combination of Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar styles. Climb to the second floor for a closer look at the gargoyles and the intricate interlocking patterning of the Mudejar vaulting. The chains that hang on the church facade were removed from Christian prisoners freed from the Moors at the reconquest of Granada.

Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca

Set in a dusty, walled garden, the run down exterior of Santa Maria la Blanca conceals a real architectural treat: twenty four pillars supporting horseshoe arches forest the nave, each topped by highly unusual capitals worth coming to see in themselves. The carving is bold, heavy and regular, as if macramed stone; the designs are based on pine cones and foliage. Similarly beautiful are the slim strips of highly coloured ceramic floor tiling.

During the 12th century this was Toledo's most important synagogue, the chief focus of worship for a population of around 12,000 Jews. But in 1391 the synagogue was the scene of a massacre, the beginnings of brutal anti Semitism in the city, and the breakdown of Toledo's previously famous religious tolerance. The synagogue was taken over by Christians in the 14th century and converted into a church: remarkably, the Almohade style art was left untouched. Christian additions include a 16th century wooden altarpiece.

El Transito Synagogue

Exquisite, lacelike Mudejar stucco work decorates the upper walls of the synagogue's one long chamber, and concentric star shaped tracery fills the windows. It is an interior of subtle beauty: climb to the upper gallery to inspect the stucco work more closely and appreciate the delicate colouring and fluidity of the foliage motif, quite a surprise after the strong sense of patterning and repetition that you get from down below. From here is a far clearer view of the carved cedarwood ceiling, too.

The synagogue was built in 1357 on the orders of Samuel Ha Levi Abulafia, treasurer to Pedro the Cruel of Castile. After the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, the building was taken over by the order of Calatrava (as the synagogue of Santa Maria U Blanca had been), who converted it into a monastery. Today the monastery rooms hold a Sephardic museum of Jewish culture.

El Greco's House

El Greco never actually lived in this house, but in part of one that once stood here. A delightful central courtyard sets a romantic scene with Mudojar inspired tiles and plasterwork, rough hewn balconies and ivy dancing across the walls. Inside rooms are filled with contemporary furnishings. There is an extremely pretty garden. The whole place has a deftly managed charm and it is a great spot to allow the imagination to wander back into the 16th century.

A small gallery alongside houses a collection of paintings of apostles by El Greco and his famous "View of Toledo", which shows the city's skyline to have changed little since the days when he lived here.

Church of Santo Tome

The church of Santo Tome houses one of El Greco's most famous paintings, "The Burial of Count Orgaz" (1586). It is a huge work, originally commissioned for this building. The lower half of the painting shows St Stephen and St Augustine lowering the Count into his tomb, surrounded by a busy crowd of nobles and notables of the day, including, it is said, Cervantes, Velazquez and El Greco himself. The upper section shows the Count's soul being received into a tumultuous spiritual world seething with heavenly bodies. Museo Taller D. Moro just one long, rectangular room lit by grilled windows, this former palace now houses a modest collection of 13th 16thcentury Islamic tiling. Intricate Mudejar stucco work decorates the walls, and at either end of the room an Arabic horseshoe arch, decorated with fine interlocking patterns and edged with Islamic scripts, connects to a small square chamber.

Church of San Roman

The church houses a museum of Visigothic art, which includes some particularly sumptuous pieces of jewellery. The building itself is a fascinating mix with the aisles divided by Moorish horseshoe arches and Christian frescoes decorating the walls; the 12th century Mudejar tower originally stood separate from the main body of the church.

El Cristo de la Luz

The mosque of El Cristo de la Luz dates from the 10th century, the only intact pre Reconquest building in Toledo. In the 12th century it was converted into a Mudejar church, though the overall appearance remained thoroughly Muslim: a series of domes rise above soaring columns in a design based on the great mosque at Cordoba.

Hospital of Tavera

Ibis museum contains major works by El Greco, including "The Baptism of Christ", "The Holy Family" and a portrait of Cardinal Tavera (the original founder of the hospital). The collection also includes paintings by Ribera, Titian and Tintoretto.

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