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Toledo, protected behind ancient walls with nine gates, reached by a Roman bridge (the Puente de Alcantara) and watched over by the Castillo de San Servando, has always played a foremost role in Iberian history. It was inhabited by Romans, Visigoths, Moors (711), Christians and Jews. It was the Jews who contributed greatly to the economical and artistic splendour of Toledo during the years they were able to live here freely. Evidence of this is seen in the eight beautiful synagogues that adorned the city with their elegant architecture. Two of these, the Sinagoga de Santa Maria and the Sinagoga del Transito, still stand out. Capital of the kingdom for a long time, frequently but unsuccessfully besieged by Arabs, Toledo lived for centuries in the productive atmosphere of wide-spread and tolerant cosmopolitanism until the end of the 15th century when Jews were expelled, following a period of crisis and bloodshed. In 1561, Philip II transfered the capital to Madrid.
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Western Europe
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