Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe

Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe

Overview From the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe World Heritage inscription: The monastery is an outstanding repository of four centuries of Spanish religious architecture. It symbolizes two significant events in world history that occurred in 1492: the Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula by the Catholic Kings and Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. …

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Spanish Africa: Ceuta and Melilla

Spanish Africa: Ceuta and Melilla

Transcript If you think of Spain, you probably think of a European country which has its arm around Portugal where they eat tapas and paella. However, what if I told you that Spain is also an African country? In fact, it is the smallest country in Africa, and no, I’m not talking about the Canary …

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Visiting the Serra de Tramuntana in Mallorca, Spain

Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana  UNESCO World Heritage Site

Overview Mallorca is one of the most popular destinations in Spain. It is famous for its beaches and resorts, and it gets millions of visitors per year. However, most people are not aware that Mallorca has another side. Along the northwestern coast of the island runs the Serra de Tramuntana mountains. History Mallorca has a …

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8 Reasons to Visit Asturias, Spain

8 Reasons to Visit Asturias, Spain

There are many reasons to love Asturias. Asturias’ monikers, “Spain’s natural paradise” and “the green coast,” are certainly justified. Contrary to most of Spain, the region is verdant, with lush, abundant vegetation. It also has a varied geography, from emerald green valleys to snow-capped mountains. But Asturias, officially known as The Principality of Asturias, offers …

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La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia

La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia: Built between 1482 and 1533, this group of buildings was originally used for trading in silk (hence its name, the Silk Exchange) and it has always been a center for commerce. It is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The grandiose Sala …

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Vizcaya Bridge

Vizcaya Bridge

From the World Heritage inscription for the Vizcaya Bridge: Vizcaya Bridge straddles the mouth of the Ibaizabal estuary, west of Bilbao. It was designed by the Basque architect Alberto de Palacio and completed in 1893. The 45-m-high bridge with its span of 160 m, merges 19th-century ironworking traditions with the then-new lightweight technology of twisted …

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How to Visit the Best Gaudi Architecture in Barcelona

The Architecture and Works of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona

Antoni Gaudí is almost synonymous with Barcelona. The architect was a visionary with an outsized impact on the architecture and building technology of the early 20th century. La Sagrada Familia is Gaudí’s signature building in Barcelona, and it’s been under construction for almost 130 years. Despite the size and scope of this basilica, it’s not …

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Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

From the World Heritage inscription for the Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona: These are two of the finest contributions to Barcelona’s architecture by the Catalan art nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The Palau de la Música Catalana is an exuberant steel-framed structure full of light and space and …

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Poblet Monastery

Poblet Monastery UNESCO World Heritage Site, Spain

From the World Heritage inscription for Poblet Monastery: Santa María of Poblet presents a unique blend of architectural forms generally reserved for distinct applications. It has served as one of the largest and most complete of the Cistercian abbeys, as a massive military complex, and as a royal palace, residence, and pantheon. It is a …

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