Paris1972-Versailles2003

Yes, that is Toledo ,Spain of course. I passed by this building several times and had mentioned briefly in my previous posts; however, need to have one of its own. It is a peculiar building, government yet architecturally nice. Of course, in a city  with so much history, this one can be overlook. Therefore, let me tell you a bit about the Ayuntamiento or city/town hall of Toledo!!!

The anecdote here is that had family (passed away unfortunately) just up the road in Yunco and visit Toledo every time from Madrid from as far back as 1971! When came for a visit with my then girlfriend later wife, took her here in our first trip to Spain together in 1990. Toledo has always been around for us and glad can tell you a bit more about its monuments in this post. The city of Toledo is the capital of the province of Toledo and in Castilla La Mancha Autonomus community.

The city hall or town hall (Ayuntamiento) is always attractive in many cities and one to look at its architecture, this one in Toledo is no exception. It likes to be call from the old days the La Casa Consistorial or Ciyt/Town Hall. It is also the tourist office!

The authorship of the new City/Town Hall building is quite complex, since the original project suffered numerous alterations due to the slowness of the works. It is very probable that the works, started in 1575.  In the first years of the 17C, the work was at a stand still, the main facade not even being completed. Work ceased again in 1618 and did not resume until 1690, finally concluded in 1703.

The first floor (ground level) of the building occupies the entire block and has a central courtyard around which the rooms are distributed.  The main door leads to the large hall, from where a staircase with Baroque decoration starts. Occupying the ground floor and the upper floor, a Mudejar door corresponding to a previous building has been reused.

The façade is the most representative element that overlooks the square and is in the Herrerian style. The lower part of this one is occupied by notaries; the upper part preserves the Herrerian “pasaedero” and on the third floor there is a large balcony with large rectangular openings.  Two towers mark the two ends of this façade topped with the typical Herrerian spire.

The Toledo tourist office on its heritage : https://turismo.toledo.es/toledo/

The city of Toledo on its historical searches : https://www.toledo.es/toledo-siempre/

There you go folks, a nice building, worth the detour, that can be visited alone. The city/town hall or ayuntamiento or casa consistorial is a marvel to look at in the Toledo sky! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!