April 18 was the International Day for Monuments and Sites. It marks the perfect occasion to virtually visit from the comfort of our own homes and in 360 degrees some of the UNESCO sites in Spain
April 18 was the International Day for Monuments and Sites. A day created by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and approved by UNESCO’s General Assembly in 1983, whose aim is to promote awareness of the diversity of cultural heritage and humanity, its vulnerability and the efforts needed to protect and conserve it.
We propose a virtual 360-degree tour of some of the World Heritage sites and monuments in Spain that have undoubtedly contributed to making Spain the second most visited country in the world. Just click on the image of each monument to start your journey.
The Alcazar of Segovia
One of the first Spanish sites designated by UNESCO as world heritage. Segovia holds human treasures such as the Roman aqueduct, built around 50 A.D., the 16th century Gothic cathedral and the Alcazar, whose origins date back to the 12th century. One of the most visited monuments in Spain, it also served as inspiration for Walt Disney (among others) for his iconic version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Click on the photo to access alcazardesegovia.com
Batlló House
The greatest representation of Catalan modernism, Antoni Gaudí has left architectural jewels of universal culture such as the Casa Batlló, in the heart of Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia. Belonging to his naturalistic period, it reflects the culmination of Gaudí’s work, whose talent was recognised by UNESCO when it designated, in 1984 and 2005, seven of his works: Parque Güell, Palacio Güell, Casa Milá, Casa Vicens, Gaudí’s work on the Nativity façade and the Sagrada Familia crypt, Casa Batlló and the Colonia Güell crypt.
Click on the photo to access casabatllo.es
Caliphate City of Medina Azahara
One of the last Spanish sites on the UNESCO list, this archaeological site includes the majestic remains of the palace city that the first Caliph of Cordoba, Abderraman III, ordered to be built on the outskirts of the city as a symbol of his political and ideological power. After a prosperous period of almost eighty years, it was ransacked in 1009 and its remains fell into oblivion, until their discovery in the early 20th century.
Click on the photo to access Maravillas de Andalucía – Google Arts & Culture
Old City of Santiago de Compostela
Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque monuments make up a city that, over the centuries, it has been steeped in the cultural and human flow it has received as one of the world’s most famous pilgrimage sites. The cathedral, the tomb of the apostle Saint James, is the central to a cultural framework declared world heritage by UNESCO in 1985.
Click on the photo to access santiagoturismo.com
Historical City of Toledo
With more than two thousand years of history, Toledo has been a nucleus of great importance in the Peninsula during practically all periods of history. Roman municipality, capital of the Visigothic kingdom, a stronghold of the Emirate of Cordoba and temporary seat of the Hispanic Monarchy, its Jewish, Islamic and Christian heritage have made it the repository of masterpieces from its various cultures.
Click on the photo to access toledo360walk.com
Pyrenees-Monte Perdido
Situated on both sides of the border between France and Spain, and covering an area of 30,639 hectares, it has the largest and deepest canyons in Europe and Monte Perdido has areas where ancestral forms of grazing are still intact. Its landscape, made up of villages, farms, fields, pastures and mountain roads, constitutes for UNESCO (which included it in its list in 1997 and 1999), a living testimony of the past of European society.
Click on the photo to access aragonvirtual.es/ordesa/
Archaeological site of Merida
Emerita Augusta, founded in 25 B.C. by Emperor Augustus and which later on became the capital of the province of Lusitania, houses complete and well-preserved vestiges from Roman times, such as the great bridge over the Guadiana River, the water system and the imposing -and still active- Roman theatre. It was included in the UNESCO list in 1993.
Click on the photo to access globo-vision.com
Salamanca
Conquered by the Carthaginians in the 3rd century BC, a Roman and Muslim city and the centre of European knowledge during the golden age of its university, one of the oldest in Europe. Salamanca has Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque monuments, such as its Plaza Mayor. UNESCO included it in its list in 1988.
Click on the photo to access salamancatourvirtual.es
Silk Exchange of Valencia
A masterpiece of Flamboyant Gothic, and made up of a group of buildings constructed between 1482 and 1533, the commodities exchange and its grandiose trading hall reflect the power and wealth of Valencia as a great Mediterranean trading city during the 15th and 16th centuries. UNESCO declared the complex a world heritage site in 1996.
Click on the photo to access viajesvirtuales.es
University and historical site of Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares, of Celtiberian origin, an important centre -Complutum- during the Roman era, and possessing significant Muslim influence, has the honour of being the first planned university city in the world, the seed of what we know today as a university campus. Founded by Cardinal Cisneros at the beginning of the 16th century, figures such as Calderón de la Barca, Quevedo, San Ignacio de Loyola and Lope de Vega have passed through its classrooms and streets. UNESCO included it in its list in 1998.
Click on the photo to access donquijotefilm.com
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