Spain: Alcázar de Toledo

June 2018

The hilltop city of Toledo is crowned by a fortress. The castle is visible from all over the city as well as from a distance. That imposing Spanish castle/fort is located right in the city center.

Once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century, it was turned into a fortress in the 10th century during the reign of Cordoba Caliph Abd ar-Rahman III. It was restored under Charles I (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) and his son Philip II of Spain in the 1540s. In 1521, Hernán Cortés was received by Charles I at the Alcázar, following Cortes' conquest of the Aztecs. The name is from Arabic al-qasr 'the castle' (ultimately, from Latin 'castrum').

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It is a large quadrangular building measuring 60 meters on a side, framed by four large towers 60 meters high, each crowned by the typical Madrid spire. Most of the building was rebuilt between 1939 and 1957 after the siege of the Alcázar during the Spanish Civil War.

(Wikipedia)

Even if the building has an impressively long history, its current shape is from the modern age. Whatever the case, it cuts an unforgettable silhouette atop the city skyline. Given I was on a day trip from Madrid, there was no time to take the tour (which was not very highly rated by other travelers). I walked around its base taking in the vistas over the city. The views of and from the castle were both amazing, although I think I preferred looking at it from afar (I did take time to walk out of the old city to a viewpoint - well worth it).

For how recent the Spanish Civil War was and how old the castle is, it is ironic that it became a symbol of that relatively modern struggle. It was damaged heavily during that conflict which is why its current shape is so "modern". Nonetheless, it works (for me). Toledo has it all - a huge fortress, city walls, and a beautiful cathedral: all on a hilltop overlooking a bend in a river.