TOLEDO, Castilla la Mancha : Medieval city in 21st century
By zerrinhosgor - 2/07/2009 12:08:00 PM
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| Toledo, Madrid |
City walls, plazas, narrow streets and religious structures of Christian, Muslims, and Jews. All of these structures describe the old capital of the Spain. The most descriptive feature of the city is its pedestrian-oriented streets and city structures. I’m talking about the Toledo where is the capital of the "Castilla la Mancha" region and is placed in World heritage list of Unesco. I went there for my research interest.
Firstly I had planned to go to Madrid after 2 days stay in Toledo. But It was not only a historical city or museum city, it was a living city. You can feel its historic structure when you stay in there. Throughout our 5 days travel, we lived the city as an inhabitant not as a tourist thereby shopping in “Supermercado”.J I think it is related with its pedestrian streets, open spaces and natural landscape.
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| The streets of Toledo |
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| The streets of Toledo |
City initiatives consider social and economic factors of the city to characterize the sustainability in addition to focusing architectural and environmental aspects. It is the point I think. Toledo is a city encircled on three sides by Tajo river and sitting on the top of a hill. With its amazing landscape, it presents lots of opportunities for people.Especially Tajo river is an advantage for city inhabitants for recreational activities. It is peaceful. We saw lots of people going jogging, picnicking, climbing and watching the river. I think it is one of the best cities sustaining its cultural identity by answering the current citizen’s needs. Especially while you are walking in narrow and winding streets you can lose yourself in a medieval city. But don’t worry, because all the streets meet at least one plaza and there are signs helping for way-finding.
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| The city of Toledo |
If you would like to live in a medieval city surrounded by city walls and reflecting its cultural structure in the 21st century, Toledo can be the best place in Madrid. The views from both inside and outside of the city are different. You can see the best views of the city from outside while you are traveling by the tourist train. And the best views from inside can be seen on the top of hill where best two places located -El Greco’s museum and Alcazar –
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| Tajo River, Toledo, Madrid |
Finally, I need to mention about the escalators providing access to the historic center from outside of it. It is definitely a successful approach for people’s mobility and accessibility. It is also mentioned that the escalator has a great impact on the reduction of traffic within the city.
