Toledo
The Moorish Alcázar (fortified palace) in Toledo was rebuilt after being damaged during a seige in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39).
| Capital of Toledo province in Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community, central Spain, built on a granite hill above the River Tagus; population (2001 est) 69,500. It was the capital of the Visigoth kingdom 534–711 (see Goth), then became a Moorish city, and was the Castilian capital from 1085–1560. Tourism is its most important industry; arms, swords, surgical instruments, engraved metalwork, and ceramics are manufactured here. There is a Gothic cathedral (13th–17th centuries) and several churches which preserve paintings by El Greco. The Alcázar (fortified palace) was rebuilt after the successful Nationalist defence of Toledo in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) and became a Nationalist shrine. |
In the 12th century Toledo had a flourishing steel industry and a school of translators, run by Archbishop Raymond (1125–1151), writing Latin versions of Arabic philosophical works. The painter El Greco worked here from about 1575 (his house and garden are preserved), and part of Cervantes' novel Don Quixote is set in the local landscape. Toledo is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain (the bishop of Toledo is the most senior Spanish cleric).
History Known as Toletum in ancient times, it fell to the Romans in 193 BC. Toledo became an early archiepiscopal see, with its archbishops becoming primates of Spain. The city prospered as the capital of the Visigothic kingdom, but its greatest prosperity came while it was under Moorish rule (712–1085), first as the seat of an emir and after 1031 as the capital of an independent kingdom. Under the Moors and later under the kings of Castile, Toledo became a centre of Spain's Moorish, Catholic, and Jewish cultures. The city's sword blades were famous throughout the world for their elasticity, strength, and craftsmanship; introduced by Moorish craftsmen, the art still continues. Toledo's commerce declined in the 16th century and the city became increasingly important as the spiritual capital of Spain, and was the seat of the Grand Inquisitors. |
Toledo
Inland port in Ohio, USA, at the mouth of the Maumee River on Lake Erie, 153 km/96 mi west of Cleveland; population (2000 est) 313,600. It is an oil- and gas-pipeline terminus, and a shipping centre for coal, iron-ore, vehicle parts, and grain. Industries include oil-refining, shipbuilding, plastics, food-processing, and the manufacture of cars, electrical goods, steel, and glass. A French fort was built in 1700, but permanent settlement did not begin until after the War of 1812.
History
Toledo was created from the merging of two villages, Vistula and Port Lawrence, in 1833. It grew rapidly with the arrival of the railway in 1836, and development of two canals in the 1840s. Oil and gas were discovered locally in 1884, and a glass industry established in 1888. The opening of the St Lawrence Seaway in 1959 made it a prominent port with foreign trading connections and special terminals for coal and iron ore.
Features Institutions of higher education include the University of Toledo (1872) and a branch of the Medical College of Ohio (1964). Cultural centres include a museum of health and natural history, a museum of art, and a large public library. Toledo has 54 entries on the national register of historic places including the Old Towne historic district and a lighthouse. There is a zoo and a symphony orchestra. |
Toledo
| Province of central Spain in western Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community, in the Tagus basin southwest of Madrid; area 15,369 sq km/5,934 sq mi; population (1995 est) 515,400. In the north of the province is a rocky plateau, and in the south are the Montes de Toledo. Livestock is raised, including fighting bulls, and cutlery, pottery, silk, wine, and olive oil are produced. The capital is Toledo. |
)
