Spain is steeped in beauty and exclusivity, as evidenced by the number of architectural monuments that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Only Italy can compete in the number of sites of cultural value, as Spain has 44 sites.
Twelve historic cities are on the UNESCO list: Alcala de Henares, Avila, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ivisa, Salamanca, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona, Toledo. But each city has many attractions, and will surely leave a mark in everyone’s heart.
While in Barcelona, the first thing to see is the work of the famous Antoni Gaudi: Sagrada Familia Cathedral, which is the first most visited in Spain, construction began in 1882 and is still going on; Park Guell – made by Eusebi Guell, here you can see a stunning fantasy world – unusual houses, stairs and benches, as well as “gingerbread house” in which the great artist lived and created; House of Batllo and Mila – designed with eccentricity, buildings in the form of skulls and bones.
Continuing to explore the secret stash of crazily talented artists need to in Figueres, the city where the king of surrealism – Salvador Dali was born and created. The Dali Theater and Museum preserves a variety of collections of the artist, including world-famous paintings, sculptures, three-dimensional collages, as well as works by other artists that Dali collected, from El Greco to Marcel Duchamp.
For eccentric contemporary creations, one must go to the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. The museum building itself is an object of artistic abstraction.
Spain, it is not only the self-expression of extravagant personalities, but also a touch of the high and the beautiful. One such is the “golden triangle of art” in Madrid, and its striking representative is the Prado Museum. The museum has a huge collection of European fine art. The Prado exhibits works from the Spanish, Italian, Flemish, German, English and French schools of art, and has some of the most comprehensive collections of Bosch, Velázquez, Goya, Murillo, Zurbarán and El Greco.
Puerta del Sol, 13, 28013 Madrid, Spain, Madrid
The Royal Palace in Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain. Today the palace is used for state ceremonies. Buildings of the palace were built in the Italian Baroque style, it is designed in more than 3500 rooms. The royal palace is also interesting with its specialized exhibitions: the armory, the royal apothecary, the alchemy laboratory, the royal library, the numismatic museum, the museum of music, applied arts and painting.
While in Spain, it is necessary to visit the center of Catholic pilgrimage – Montserrat Monastery. The monastery is famous for its shrine – the statue of the Black Madonna – Our Lady with Child, which has miraculous properties. The monastery even has a wishing room, where souvenirs are brought by those who have been healed or whose wishes have come true.