Historic Places in Spain?

Question

What are some historic places in Spain? Like landmarks, not cities.. thanks!

Answer 1

From the UNESCO World Heritage List for

Spain

    * Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada (1984, 1994) 21

    * Burgos Cathedral (1984)

    * Doñana National Park (1984, 2005)

    * Historic Centre of Cordoba (1984, 1994) 22

    * Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid (1984)

    * Works of Antoni Gaudí (1984, 2005) 23

    * Altamira Cave (1985)

    * Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias (1985, 1998) 24

    * Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches (1985)

    * Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct (1985)

    * Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) (1985)

    * Garajonay National Park (1986)

    * Historic City of Toledo (1986)

    * Mudejar Architecture of Aragon (1986, 2001) 25

    * Old Town of Cáceres (1986)

    * Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville (1987)

    * Old City of Salamanca (1988)

    * Poblet Monastery (1991)

    * Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida (1993)

    * Route of Santiago de Compostela (1993)

    * Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe (1993)

    * Historic Walled Town of Cuenca (1996)

    * La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia (1996)

    * Las Médulas (1997)

    * Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona (1997)

    * Pyrénées - Mont Perdu (1997, 1999) *

    * San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries (1997)

    * Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula (1998)

    * University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares (1998)

    * Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture (1999)

    * San Cristóbal de La Laguna (1999)

    * Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco (2000)

    * Archaeological Site of Atapuerca (2000)

    * Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí (2000)

    * Palmeral of Elche (2000)

    * Roman Walls of Lugo (2000)

    * Aranjuez Cultural Landscape (2001)

    * Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza (2003)

    * Vizcaya Bridge (2006)

Answer 2

El Prado museum in Madrid. Its works are all religious and royal portraiture, so I found it kind of boring. The Reina Sofia museum is more contemporary, with works by Picasso, Dali, Monet and Van Gogh.

La Alhambra in Granada. A Moorish palace and gardens, currently a contender for the new 7 Wonders of the World.

La Mezquita in Cordoba. A Moorish mosque, one of the most significant landmarks in Spain.

El Alcazar in Sevilla. Another Moorish palace and gardens, on a smaller scale than La Alhambra, but just as beautiful.

The Cathedral in Sevilla. Across the plaza from El Alcazar, the largest cathedral in Europe. It claims to hold the remains of Christopher Columbus.

The Royal Palace in Madrid. Some of the rooms have been preserved in their original states.

The Lladro factory in Valenica. If you're a member of the Lladro society, you can tour the factory. There's also a factory store that sells "seconds" for much lower prices, but the "flaws" are invisible to the untrained, naked eye.

Italica. Roman ruins including several marble statues, mosaics and an amphitheatre.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. A recent addition to Spain's culture, but still a significant historical landmark and an architectural marvel.

I know you said no cities, but I can't resist...

Toledo. Home of the crown jewels, sword making and Toledo gold-style jewelry.

Cadiz. Founded by the Phoenicians, it is the most ancient city still standing in Europe.

Segovia. Known for the Roman aqueduct that still stands.

Talavera. The main source of Spanish pottery, still hand-thrown and hand-painted.

Arcos de la Fontera. The location for the annual Running of the Bulls.

Jerez de la Frontera. Jerez is the Spanish word for sherry. Most, if not all of Spain's sherry is made here.

Answer 3

In addition to the other answers:

Try the quasi historic Valle de los caidos...

I say quasi historic as it was built by Franco and he is entombed there. There is a small shop with a great selection of materials on the hows, wheres & why fors of Spain in the early 20th century.... A very turbulent time in the country´s history and one that is little understood.

Further reading is available here:

http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/valle-...

Personally I recomend you research the places before you go to Spain and sort out an itinery that allows you to see those sites of interest to you.

Answer 4

The entire country is one big historic place.

Answer 5

The Prado museum in Madrid, The Alhambra in Granada, The Cathedral in Seville are all well known landmarks of historical significance.

There are tons more but those are the first three that sprang to mind.

Answer 6

Try the Tree of Gernika (I'm not sure how it's called in English) in Gernika-Lumo (Bizkaia).  I did an internship in the bureau of tourism of Gernika and there are an enormous number of sites of interest--the painted forest, the Urdaibai biosphere, the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe... look at the Gernika website, it can give you more specific information.

www.gernika-lumo.net