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Toledo Historic Data

Province: Toledo
Autonomous Region: Castilla-La Mancha
Tourist Office: Puerta de Bisagra, s/n - 45071 Toledo (Toledo)
Tel.: +34 925 220 843
Fax: +34 925 252 648

Known as the “city of the three cultures”, Christians, Arabs and Jews lived harmoniously for centuries in this fortress city.  Behind its walls Toledo preserves an astonishing artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. This great diversity of architectural style makes the old quarter of the capital of La Mancha a real open-air museum and has led to it being declared a World Heritage Site.

City of Three Cultures

The city of Toledo has its origins in Toletum, the name the Romans gave to this settlement on the banks of the River Tagus after its conquest in 190 BC. The city maintained its importance for centuries and in the Visigothic era became the capital of Hispania (6th C.).

The arrival of the Arabs in the 8th century together with the presence of Christians and Jews led to an explosion of intellectual and cultural development and among other important events the Toledo School of Translators was founded. When Carlos V came to the throne in 1519, the city was made an imperial capital.

One of the most outstanding buildings in the city is the main Cathedral, considered a high point of Gothic art. The Cathedral Museum houses a rich collection of works by painters like Goya, El Greco, Lucas Jordán and Van Dyck.

The Alcazar is another important building.  This imposing fortress sits aloft, built on the highest point of Toledo and can be seen for miles around.  Once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century, it was restored under Alfonso VI and Alfonso X and renovated again in 1535.

Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage.