Toledo, Spain - Cathedral, the Retablo

Toledo is one of the great historical cities of Spain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated about 70km south of the capital, Madrid, the city has a population of around 85,000 and is a provincial capital. Toledo looms large in the nation's history and consciousness as a religious centre, bulwark of the Spanish church, and once-flourishing symbol of a multicultural medieval society. The Old Town today is a treasure chest of churches, museums, synagogues and mosques set in a labyrinth of narrow streets, plazas and inner patios in a lofty setting high above the Río Tajo. Arguably, the two jewels in its architectural crown are the 'Catedral de Toledo' built between 1226–1493 and the 'Alcázar de Toledo', a huge and imposing stone fortification located in the highest part of the city and originally used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century.