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Spanish Euro Coins
Spanish euro coins feature three different designs for each of the three series of coins. The minor series of 1, 2, and 5 cent coins were designed by Garcilaso Rollán, the middle series of 10, 20, and 50 cent coins by Begoña Castellanos, and the two major coins feature the portrait of King Felipe VI of Spain. All designs feature the European symbols, 12 stars of the EU, the year of minting, and the word ''España'' (Spanish for Spain). Current series In 2010, Spain updated their national sides in order to comply with the European commission recommendations. In the €1 and €2 coins, the same portrait of king Juan Carlos I was used, but the year position was placed in the inner part of the coin. Moreover, the twelve star ring no longer contained chiselled sections. The chiselled sections were also removed from designs for the other coins. In 2015, the portrait on the €1 and €2 coins was changed to that of the new King Felipe VI of Spain, Felipe VI following his father's a ...
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Coin
A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by a government. Coins often have images, numerals, or text on them. The faces of coins or medals are sometimes called the ''obverse'' and the ''reverse'', referring to the front and back sides, respectively. The obverse of a coin is commonly called ''heads'', because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse is known as ''tails''. The first metal coins – invented in the ancient Greek world and disseminated during the Hellenistic period – were precious metal–based, and were invented in order to simplify and regularize the task of measuring and weighing bullion (bulk metal) carried around for the purpose of transactions. They carried their value within the coins themselves, but the stampings also induced manip ...
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Patio De Los Leones
The Court of the Lions () or Palace of the Lions () is a palace in the heart of the Alhambra, a historic citadel formed by a complex of palaces, gardens and forts in Granada, Spain. It was commissioned by the Nasrid sultan Muhammad V of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus. Its construction started in the second period of his reign, between 1362 and 1391 AD. Along with the Alhambra, the palace is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was minted in Spain's 2011 limited edition of €2 Commemorative Coins. The Palace of the Lions is one of the most famous palaces in Islamic architecture and exemplifies the apogee of Nasrid architecture in Al-Andalus. The architecture of the palace presented a significant shift in the design of Nasrid palaces and introduced new trends in ornamentation. The building consists of a rectangular courtyard centered on a marble fountain with twelve sculpted lions. Four main halls surround the courtyard, along with some upper-floor rooms. Water channels ...
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Oviedo
Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located approximately southwest of Gijón and southeast of Avilés, both of which lie on the shoreline of the Bay of Biscay. Oviedo's proximity to the ocean of less than in combination with its elevated position with areas of the city more than 300 metres above sea level causes the city to have a maritime climate, in spite of its not being located on the shoreline itself. History The Kingdom of Asturias began in 720, with the Visigothic aristocrat Pelagius of Asturias, Pelagius's (685–737) revolt against the Muslims who at the time were occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula. The Umayyad conquest of Hispania, Moorish invasion that began in 711 had taken control of most of the peninsula, until the revolt in the nort ...
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Santa María Del Naranco
The church of Saint Mary at Mount Naranco (; ) is a pre-Romanesque Asturian building on the slope of Mount Naranco situated from Oviedo, northern Spain. Ramiro I of Asturias ordered it to be built as a royal palace, part of a larger complex that also incorporated the nearby church of San Miguel de Lillo, 100 meters away. The palace was completed in 842 and had in part a religious function, being consecrated in 848. Its structural features, such as the barrel vault—with transverse ribs corresponding one-to-one with contraforts at the exterior, make it a clear precursor of the Romanesque construction. The exterior decorations, as well as the use of stilted arches, mark the intended verticality of the composition. It was declared a '' Monumento Nacional'' on 24 January 1885. Along with all other national monuments of Spain, it was classified as a ''Bien de Interés Cultural'' in June 1985. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in December 1985. History Buil ...
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Segovia
Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, near the northern slopes of the Sistema Central mountain range. Housing is nestled on a bend of the Eresma River, Eresma river. The city is famous for its historic buildings including three main landmarks: Aqueduct of Segovia, its midtown Roman aqueduct, Segovia Cathedral, its cathedral (one of the last ones to be built in Europe following a Gothic style), and the Alcázar of Segovia (a fortress). The city center was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. Etymology The name of Segovia is of Celtiberians, Celtiberian origin. Although historians have linked its old name to ', the discovery of the original Ancient Rome, Roman city of Segobriga near Saelices discarded this possibility. The name of "S ...
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Aqueduct Of Segovia
The Aqueduct of Segovia () is a Roman aqueduct in Spain, built around the first century AD to channel water from springs in the mountains to Segovia's fountains, Thermae, public baths and private houses, in use until 1973. Its elevated section, with its complete arcade of 167 arches, is one of the best-preserved Roman Aqueduct (bridge), aqueduct bridges and the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms. The Old Town of Segovia and the aqueduct were declared a World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. History As the aqueduct lacks a legible inscription (one was apparently located in the structure's ''attic'', or top portion), the date of construction could not be definitively determined. The general date of the Aqueduct's construction was long a mystery, although it was thought to have been during the 1st century AD, during the reigns of the Emperors Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan. At the end of the 20th century Géza Alföl ...
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Paleolithic Cave Art Of Northern Spain
The Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain () is a grouping of 18 caves of northern Spain, which together represent the apogee of Upper Paleolithic cave art in Europe between 35,000 and 11,000 years ago (Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean, Magdalenian, Azilian). In 2008, they were collectively designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Chief among these caves is Altamira, located within the town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria. It remains one of the most important painting cycles of prehistory, originating in the Magdalenian and Solutrean periods of the Upper Paleolithic. This cave's artistic style represents the Franco-cantabrian school, characterized by the realism of its figural representation. Altamira Cave was declared a World Heritage Site in 1985. In 2008, the World Heritage Site was expanded to include 17 additional caves located in three autonomous communities of northern Spain: Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country. List of caves Se ...
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Cave Of Altamira
The Cave of Altamira ( ; ) is a cave complex, located near the historic town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain. It is renowned for prehistoric cave painting, cave art featuring charcoal drawings and polychrome paintings of contemporary local fauna and human hands. The earliest paintings were applied during the Upper Paleolithic, around 36,000 years ago. The site was discovered in 1868 by Modesto Cubillas and subsequently studied by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. Aside from the striking quality of its polychromatic art, Altamira's fame stems from the fact that its paintings were the first European cave paintings for which a prehistoric origin was suggested and promoted. Sautuola published his research with the support of Juan de Vilanova y Piera in 1880, to initial public acclaim. However, the publication of Sanz de Sautuola's research quickly led to a bitter public controversy among experts, some of whom rejected the prehistoric origin of the paintings on the grounds that ...
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Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( , ; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalans, Catalan architect and designer from Spain, widely known as the greatest exponent of Catalan ''Modernisme''. Gaudí's works have a style, with most located in Barcelona, including his magnum opus, main work, the Sagrada Família church. Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion. He considered every detail of his creations and combined crafts such as ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging, and carpentry. He introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as ''trencadís'' which used waste ceramic pieces. Influenced by Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the ''Modernista'' movement, which peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work eventually transcended mainstream ''Modernisme'', developing into a unique style inspired by natural forms. Gaudí rarely drew det ...
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Park Güell
Park Güell ( ; ) is a complex of parks and gardens in Barcelona with architectural elements, located in the La Salut neighborhood of the Gràcia district in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the southern slope of the Turó del Carmel hill, part of the Collserola mountain range, overlooking the city. The separate Parc del Carmel lies on the northern side of the same hill. In the context of Barcelona's late 19th and early 20th-century urban expansion, Catalan industrialist and art patron Eusebi Güell commissioned architect Antoni Gaudí, a leading figure of the aesthetic movement in Catalan modernism, to design a park. Construction took place between 1900 and 1914, and the park officially opened to the public in 1926. In 1984, UNESCO designated the park a World Heritage Site, recognizing it as part of the " Works of Antoni Gaudí" collection. Description Park Güell reflects Gaudí's distinctive artistic sensibilities and visual language, marking a specific pha ...
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El Escorial
El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El Escorial and about northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid. Built between 1563 and 1584 by order of King Philip II of Spain, Philip II (who reigned 1556–1598), El Escorial is the largest Renaissance architecture, Renaissance building in the world. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital. El Escorial consists of two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: the royal monastery itself and ''La Granjilla de La Fresneda de El Escorial, Madrid, La Granjilla de La Fresneda'', a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about away. These sites have a dual nature: during the 16th and 17th centuries, they we ...
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Burgos Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos () is a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary located in the historical center of the Spanish city of Burgos. Its official name is the Holy Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica Church of St Mary of Burgos (). Its construction began in 1221, in the style of French Gothic architecture and is based on a Latin cross. After a hiatus of almost 200 years, it went through major embellishments of great splendor in the 15th and 16th centuries: the spires of the main facade, the and dome of the transept. These are elements of the flamboyant Gothic which gives the cathedral its unmistakable profile. The last works of importance (the Sacristy or the Chapel of Saint Thecla) were performed in the 18th century, during which the Gothic portals of the main facade were also modified. The style of the cathedral is the Gothic, although it has several decorative Renaissance and Baroque elements as well. The construction and renovations were made with lime ...
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