3408, 3417, 3445 SPAIN (Community of Madrid) - Royal Palace of Madrid

3408 Royal Palace of Madrid and Almudena Cathedral

Located on Bailén Street, in the western part of downtown Madrid, east of the Manzanares River, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family, although now only used for state ceremonies. The palace has 135,000 square metres of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms, being the largest functioning royal palace and the largest by floor area in Europe. The last monarch who lived continuously in the palace was King Alfonso XIII, although Manuel Azaña, president of the Second Republic, also inhabited it.

3417 Royal Palace of Madrid - Gasparini Room (18th-19th centuries)

The interior of the palace is notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in the construction and the decoration of its rooms. It includes paintings by artists such as Caravaggio, Juan de Flandes, Francisco de Goya, and Velázquez, and frescoes by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Corrado Giaquinto, and Anton Raphael Mengs. Other collections of great historical and artistic importance preserved in the building include the Royal Armoury of Madrid, porcelain, watches, furniture, silverware, and the world's only complete Stradivarius string quintet.

3445 Royal Palace of Madrid - The kitchen of Ramillete 

The palace is located on the site of a 9th-century Alcázar (Muslim-era fortress), near the town of Magerit, constructed as an outpost by Muhammad I of Córdoba and inherited after 1036 by the independent Moorish Taifa of Toledo. After Madrid fell to King Alfonso VI of Castile in 1083, the edifice was only rarely used by the kings of Castile. In 1329, King Alfonso XI of Castile convened the cortes of Madrid for the first time. King Felipe II moved his court to Madrid in 1561.

0134, 3439 SPAIN (Catalonia) - Casa Batlló - part of Works of Antoni Gaudí (UNESCO WHS)

0134

Part of the Manzana de la Discordia (Block of Discord, but also Apple of Discord), located at 43, Passeig de Gràcia,  in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Casa Batlló is a building restored in the years 1904-1906 by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol (with the contribution of Gaudí's assistants, Domènec Sugrañes i Gras, Josep Canaleta and Joan Rubió). Like all the buildings designed by the brilliant Catalan architect, it looks stunning and very modern, even for today's viewer, so it's hard to imagine how strange it may seem, with its organic, even visceral forms, for the early 20th century Barcelonians.

3439

The building consists of a ground floor, a main floor with a courtyard, four further self-contained floors, a loft and a roof terrace. There is private access to the noble floor (the main floor), and a communal stairwell set within the building well, which has been expanded and artistically tiled as though it were part of the exterior facade. The entire building is astonishing, but stand out in the first place the ground floor (with its tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work) and the arched roof like a back of a dragon or dinosaur, plated with tiles in the form of scales.

3427 SPAIN (Community of Madrid) - Almudena Cathedral

Consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993, Almudena Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid. Plans to build a cathedral in Madrid dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena were discussed as early as the 16th century but even though Spain built more than 40 cities in the new world during that century, the cost of expanding and keeping the Empire came first and the construction of Madrid's cathedral was postponed. Because making the cathedral the largest that the world had ever seen was a priority, the construction of Almudena only began in 1879.

3393 SPAIN (Castile and León) - The Millenium Dome in Valladolid

The Millennium Dome is a space in Valladolid next to the river Pisuerga, with multiple options in regard to the activities that can be held in its interior, such as concerts, conferences, exhibitions, shows and advertising and sports events. It was built by the Barcelona-based architect  Enric Ruiz Geli for Expo Zaragoza 2008, and subsequently acquired by the city of Valladolid as a multipurpose building. This dome covers the pavilion with a surface of almost 1,700 m² and has underground parking for 402 vehicles, a cycle lane and a restaurant.

3251 SPAIN (Andalusia) - Salobreña

Located in Granada, on the Costa Tropical, Salobreña claims a history stretching back 6,000 years. The Old Town which sits atop a rocky prominence (Gran Peñón) and is a cluster of whitewashed houses and quirky steep narrow streets leading up to a 10th-century Moorish castle. Another interesting building is the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, built in the 16th century on the site of an old mosque. The different districts of the town, like La Loma, La Fuente, El Brocal and el Albaycín, have medieval corners with openings for doors, arches and windows.

3127 SPAIN (Balearic Islands) - The map of Mallorca

Mallorca it is not only the largest island in the Balearic Islands archipelago, but also the largest island of Spain (about 3,640 km²) and second most populated (almost 860,000 inhabitants). It has two mountainous regions, the Serra de Tramuntana and Serres de Llevant, the highest peak being Puig Major (1,445 m). The northern coast is rugged and has many cliffs. The central zone, extending from Palma, the capital city, is a generally flat, fertile plain known as Es Pla. The main language spoken on the island is Catalan.

ALBANIA / AUSTRIA / BELGIUM / BULGARIA / CROATIA / GERMANY / ITALY / ROMANIA / SLOVAKIA / SLOVENIA / SPAIN / UKRAINE - Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (UNESCO WHS)

This transboundary property stretches over 12 European countries. Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees over a short period of a few thousand years in a process that is still ongoing. The successful expansion across a whole continent is related to the tree's adaptability and tolerance of different climatic, geographical and physical conditions.

2154, 2908 SPAIN (Balearic Islands) - The Cathedral of Santa María of Palma de Mallorca

2154 The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma (1)

Posted om 26.12.2015, 18.12.2016
The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, known as La Seu (a title also used by many other churches), is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma, Majorca. Built on the site of a Moorish-era mosque, it is 121m long, 55m wide and its nave is 44m tall (with only 4m lower than the one of Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, the highest of all Gothic cathedrals). Designed in the Catalan Gothic style but with Northern European influences, it was begun by King James I of Aragon in 1229 (to honour a vow he made to the Virgin Mary after surviving a terrible storm), but only finished in 1601.

2908 The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma (2)

It sits within the old city of Palma atop the former citadel of the Roman city, between the Royal Palace of La Almudaina and the episcopal palace. It houses the majestic Royal Chapel, and the tombs of James II of Majorca (1243-1311) and James III of Majorca (1315-1349), the last ruler of independent Majorca. The main façade, that fell off during the earthquake in 1851, was completely reconstructed in Neo-Gothic style by Joan Bautista Peyronnet.  In 1901, fifty years after a restoration of the cathedral had started, Antoni Gaudí was invited to take over the project, but he abandoned his work in 1914 after an argument with the contractor.

2889 SPAIN (Galicia) - Galician traditional clothes

Located in the North-West corner of the Iberian Peninsula, Galicia is one of three autonomous regions in Spain that have their own official languages (Gallego) in addition to Castilian Spanish, the national language. The Galicians are descended from Spain's second wave of Celtic invaders (from the British Isles and western Europe) who came across the Pyrenees mountains in about 400 BC. The Romans, arriving in the second century BC, gave the Galicians their name, derived from the Latin gallaeci.

2667 SPAIN (Community of Madrid) - The monument to Cervantes in Madrid

As is well known, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He owes his fame to Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern novel, and one of the best works of fiction ever written. In Plaza de España (Spanish for Square of Spain), located in central Madrid, is a monument to Cervantes, designed by architects Rafael Martínez Zapatero and Pedro Muguruza and sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera.

2643 SPAIN (Catalonia) - Casa Vicens - part of Works of Antoni Gaudí (UNESCO WHS)

Casa Vicens is a modernist building in Barcelona, located in the neighborhood of Grácia on Calle de las Carolinas, 24. It was the first house designed by Antoni Gaudí, and is considered one of the first buildings of Art Nouveau. Its style is a reflection of Neo-Mudéjar architecture, including oriental and neoclassical as well. Gaudí broke away from tradition and created his new language of architecture, and Casa Vicens represents a new chapter in the history of Catalan architecture.

0760, 2553 SPAIN (Murcia) - The roman theatre in Cartagena

0760 The roman theatre in Cartagena (1)

Founded by Phoenicians as Qart Hadasht (New City) around 227 BC, the city known in nowadays as Cartagena (in Murcia) lived its heyday during the Roman Empire (under the name Carthago Nova or Carthago Spartaria), but it was also one of the important centers during the Umayyad invasion of Hispania, under its Arabic name of Qartayannat al-Halfa. After its reconquest by King Alfonso X of Castile (1245) the city entered a period of great decadence and decay, despite a short economic revival in the 16th century.

2553 The roman theatre in Cartagena (2)

Thanks to its strategic position on the Mediterranean, Cartagena has been inhabited by many different cultures which have left their mark on its rich cultural heritage during a glorious and turbulent history. Most of its oldest monuments date from the ages of the Roman Empire, among them being the recently restored Roman theatre of Carthago Nova, one of the landmarks of the city. It was erected between 5 and 1 BC, but in the 3rd century AD a market was built over it, with a semicircular open space, which was perhaps abandoned after a fire caused by the Vandals in 425.

2540 SPAIN (Valencia) - Peniscola

Located on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast), north of the Serra d'Irta along the Mediterranean coast, Peniscola, often called the "Gibraltar of Valencia," and locally as "The City in the Sea", is a fortified seaport, built on a rocky headland about 67m high, and joined to the mainland by only a narrow strip of land. The history of the place goes back to the Iberians. Later the town became Phoenician, then Greek, and finally Carthaginian.

2529 SPAIN - Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain (UNESCO WHS)

2529 Itinerary of the French Way (Camino Francés),
of the Route of Santiago de Compostela
(Camino de Santiago)

The Camino de Santiago, also known by the English names Way of St. James, St. James's Way, St. James's Path, St. James's Trail, Route of Santiago de Compostela, and Road to Santiago, is the name of any of the pilgrimage routes to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages, together with those to Rome and Jerusalem.

SPAIN - Works of Antoni Gaudí (UNESCO WHS)

Seven properties built by the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) in or near Barcelona testify to Gaudí's exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These monuments represent an eclectic, as well as a very personal, style which was given free reign in the design of gardens, sculpture and all decorative arts, as well as architecture.

2123 SPAIN (Andalusia) - Costa del Sol

Tourist destination of world renown, the Costa del Sol (Sun Coast) is a region in the south of Spain, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga, between lesser known the Costa de la Luz and the Costa Tropical. It includes the city of Málaga and also the towns of Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, San Pedro de Alcántara, Estepona, Manilva, Casares, Rincón de la Victoria, Vélez-Málaga, Nerja, Frigiliana and Torrox.

1997 SPAIN (Navarre) - Running of the bulls in Pamplona

Located in the middle of Navarre in a rounded valley, known as the Basin of Pamplona, that links the mountainous North with the Ebro valley, Pamplona or Iruña is the historical capital city of Navarre, and of the former Kingdom of Navarre. The city is famous worldwide for the running of the bulls (el encierro) during the San Fermín festival, which is held annually from July 6 to 14. This festival was brought to literary renown with the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises.

1930 SPAIN (Murcia) - To the mud baths of Lo Pagán

Situated on Costa Cálida, between the Mediterranean Sea coast and the Mar Menor (Minor Sea), the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe, separated from the Mediterranean sea by a sandbar named La Manga, San Pedro del Pinatar is a charming and popular resort town with around 21,000 resident inhabitants and a large tourist population during the busy holiday season in July and August. It is perfectly situated for touring both the Costa Calida and Costa Blanca coastlines and is handy for touring the ancient cities of Murcia and Cartagena.

1903 SPAIN (Andalusia) - Marbella, on Costa del Sol

Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, between Málaga and the Gibraltar Strait, in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca, Marbella is one of the most important tourist cities of the Costa del Sol and throughout most of the year is an international tourist attraction, due mainly to its climate and tourist infrastructure. The city also has a significant archaeological heritage, several museums and performance spaces, and a cultural calendar. In addition, the historic part of the city shelters lovely corners of a typically Andalusian flavour, with whitewashed houses and orange trees adorning the streets and squares.

1209, 1700 SPAIN (Andalusia) - A bullfight in Plaza de Toros in Ronda

1209 - A poster of a corrida
in Plaza de Toros de Ronda

Posted on 27.08.2014, 29.06.2015
Bullfighting (Spanish: corrida de toros), also known as tauromachia or tauromachy, is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Hispanic American countries, in which bulls are fought in a bullring. Some followers of the spectacle prefer to consider it a fine art, and not a sport, because doesn't imply elements of competition. Today, the bullfight involves professional toreros (the most senior is called matador) who execute moves which differ according to the bullfighter's style or school. Such maneuvers are performed at close range, after the bull has been weakened by lances and short spears with barbs. The bullfight usually concludes with the killing of the bull by a single sword thrust (estocada).

1700 - SPAIN (Andalusia) - Ronda: 1. Puente Nuevo (New Bridge);
2. Plaza de Toros de Ronda.

Supporters of bullfighting argue that it is a culturally important tradition and a fully developed art form, whereas critics hold that it is a bloody sport, that causes suffering of bulls and horses. The Spanish introduced the practice of fighting bulls on foot around 1726.  Francisco Romero from Ronda is generally regarded as having been the first to do this. The modern style of Spanish bullfighting is credited to Juan Belmonte, generally considered the greatest matador of all time. In the traditional corrida, three matadores fight each with two bulls between four and six years old, with a weighs no less than 460kg. Each matador has six assistants: two picadores (lancers on horseback), three  banderilleros, and a mozo de espadas (sword page), which together form a cuadrilla (entourage).