Archive for 'History in Spain'

The Prado Museum in Madrid in Spain is one of the finest art galleries in the entire world, particularly rich in European Medieval and Renaissance gems. In fact, if you were to study art history at all, it would become quickly apparent to you that many of the greatest masterpieces to ever come from Europe are housed in the gallery. With so much to take in, we decided to compile a list of some of the must-see works in the museum to help you out. Just find a vacation rental in Spain, drop by the gallery and check out these highlights.

3. The Descent from the Cross, Rogier Van Der Weyden, c.1435

Another visually arresting and vivid work, this painting – with its bright primary colours, gilding and dynamic composition – always grabs the attention of crowds in the gallery; though they are more reasonable crowds than those that swarm the Bosch we mentioned in the last post.

The Prado Museum is one of Madrid's top cultural attractions and one of the most incredible galleries and collections in the world. For art lovers, it is one of the definite must-see attractions in Spain. Housed in a vast, beautiful and grand 18th century Neoclassical building, it was opened as a museum in 1819 and is home to works by great masters such as Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, Raphael, Rubens, and Bosch, among many others. We have already written about the museum itself but thought that it might be a good idea to dedicate a series of posts to some of the works that are highlights of the collection and which you should seek out once you have found a vacation rental in Spain and have come to explore the stunning museum.

1. Self-portrait (or Self-portrait at 26), Albrecht Dürer, 1498

Dürer was an early fan of the self-portrait and produced three in his lifetime (of which this example is the second).

Looking like a fantastical town plucked right from the pages of Lord Of The Rings, Ronda is Malaga's most extraordinary town. Perched in a rather dramatic location on a plateau dotted by lush river valleys and bisected by the 100m fissure of El Tajo gorge, it is named for the fact that it is ‘surrounded’ by mountains. One of Spain's oldest towns, with Neolithic origins, it was first declared a city by Julius Caesar, though it didn't really begin to take shape until the 4th century AD. However, the appearance as it exists today owes itself to the period of Islamic rule and features mosques and palaces with distinctive ogives and other key architectural details of the period.

Witch trials are always fascinating things to hear about and, as it happens, while Salem may be more famous for the trials that plagued her history, Spain was home to the largest witch trial in history. Just find a vacation rental in Basque Country and come discover this dark history.

Between 1609 and 1614, up to 7,000 people were accused of witchcraft in Basque Spain, in Salem only 200 people were accused, though 20 were ultimately executed for the “crime”. Fueled by suspicion from the Spanish Inquisition, due to the men of the region having to leave for months at a time to work, strong folkloric belief in the region, and the arrival of gypsies in the Basque country a sociopolitical climate was born in which scrutiny on women, in particular, was at its height.

The Prado Museum in Madrid is one of the city's top cultural attractions and one of the most incredible galleries and collections in the world, certainly in Spain. In fact, the whole experience of the gallery was so rich and overwhelming that it made this writer well up embarrassingly in public while wandering around. Truly, it is an extraordinary place. Housed in a vast, beautiful and grand 18th century Neoclassical building, it was opened as a museum in 1819 and is home to works by great masters such as Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, Raphael, Rubens, and Bosch, among many others. For one of the best art experiences in all of Europe, just find a vacation rental in Spain and come explore the stunning Prado Museum.

Named for the district where it is located, the area around the museum was formerly a market garden known as the "prado" or meadow. Impressed by the Louvre, the Spanish queen, Isabella of Braganza, decided she also wanted a space in which to display her own remarkable collection. The building had been originally designed by Juan de Villanueva to house the Natural History Cabinet but eventually became home to the royal collections.