guide to caceres

CA C E R E S WORLD HERITAGE CITY

A 'SCHOOL-MADE' CITY GUIDE FOR THE COMENIUS PROJECT

'STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN PA RTNER SHIP' 2010-12 IE S 'LO S MORI S CO S' History, legends, students quiz

INDEX S CHOOL-MADE CITY GUIDE FOR C Á C E R E S

1. CITY MAP OF C Á C E R E S 2. A PIECE OF ADVICE ON YOUR VISIT. 3. INTRODUCTION ON CA C E R E S WORLD HERITAGE CITY 4. EXPLANATO RY NOTE S ON B E ST SIGHTS IN CA C E R E S WALLED CITY a) brief introduction b) short legend or strange story on every sight. c) short quiz for students, and teachers, why not 5. MAIN WALLED CITY S QUA RE S (linking points when visiting Cáceres)

1. CA C E R E S CITY MAP

WELCOME TO Cรกceres Caceres was founded in 34 B C by the Romans, with the name of Norba Caesarina. During the Moorish period the town was called Qazrix. Later Alfonso IX conquered it in 1227 for the Christians.

The walled city is on top of a hill and it has about 30 towers. The town retains its medieval look and no modern buildings are allowed in it. One of the most important Medieval Festivals of Extremadura is held in here. Music, colour, arts and crafts, falcony,food and drink appeal to loads of people to Cรกceres every year in spring.. There are a few top-ten restaurants and a provincial museum in the Old Town. The walled city is like a medieval/renaissance theme park and many movies are made here because it is so authentic and there is little of the modern world that intrudes.

There are many churches, monasteries, and renaissance palaces in the old town . The narrow streets here are made of cobblestones. They form a maze and it is very easy to get lost.

Of note are the hundreds of storks nesting on top of all of the buildings and fireplaces of the historic center. It is interesting to just observe the storks because it is like a free nature show. There are also hundreds of pigeons to be found here.

Caceres is a World Heritage City.

Best Sights of Caceres 1. Santa María Church-Procathedral The Santa Maria Church-Procathedral was

constructed over a foundation of a

hermitage from the 13th century, after

Caceres was conquered by the Christians.

The church was completed in the 16th

century with thick defensive walls. The church shows a transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic.

There are two Gothic façades. There is a Doorway of the Gospel that has an

image of the Virgin in the tympanum. Another Doorway contains the coat of arms of the Orellana family. There is a Renaissance tower with three sections, a rectangular

plan, and topped with torch holders. At the corner of this tower is the statue of St.

Peter of Alcántara*, designed by Enrique Pérez.

There exists a funny story on this statue. It is said that if you kiss St. Peter's feet, you will find, in a few days, your perfect match.

It is common to see many people kissing his feet and asking for a wish.* *

The interior of the church has three naves. The main altarpiece has the Plateresque style. The artists of this altarpiece were Guillen Ferrant and Roque Balduque. It does

not have any polychrome. This is divided into three sections and has sculptures of the apostles. The central portion has themes related to the Virgin Mary and the early life of Jesus and His passion.

There is an organ that was built in 1703 by Manuel de la Viña. The sacristy has a Plateresque facade created by Alonso de Torralbo in 1527. There is a sacred art

museum that has silver pieces and sacramental pieces. The Blazquez Chapel has a figure of the Black Christ*, a Gothic crucifix from the 14th century. The other

important chapels are the Chapel of Santa Ana from 1446, and the Chapel of San

*the Black Christ is the most representative sculpture in Cáceres. Many people worship this figure. They say it made many miracles in past times.The church was declared a HistoricMiguel from 1551.

Artistic Monument in 1931.

QUE STION S: WHAT COLOUR IS THE STATUE OF ST. PETER OF ALCÁNTARA ?

2. Caceres Municipal Museum(Museo Municipal) The Caceres

Municipal Museum is located at the Plaza de las Veletas and its buildings are called the Palacio de las Veletas and Casa de los Caballos. This

city museum has many exhibits showing the local cultural heritage. There are gold

and silver articles, historical documents, sculptures, paintings, objects related to the city's fairs and festivals, and old photographs. The most interesting part is

where there are mannequins displaying the regional costumes of Extremadura .

The museum is housed in the Casa de las Veletas, built in the 16th century. It also contains an interesting cistern from Moorish times, from the 12th century, since it was part of the Moorish Alcazaba.

QUE STION S: THE MUNICIPAL MU S EUM IS LOCATED IN THE …..............................SQUARE.

3. Star Archway (Arco de la E strella) The Star Archway is one of the five gates of the walled city and it joins the Plaza Mayor with the Plaza de Santa María which are the key centers of the city. The gatearch was built by Larra Churriguera in

1726. The shape of the arch is peculiar because it allows carriages to pass through. There is a Baroque niche inside with an image of the Virgen de la Estrella and a lantern, in the shape of a star. When travelers leave the city, they ask for

protection from this image, and thank it on their safe return. An amazing legend in Cáceres has it that close to this archway you may see the ghost of a Moorish prisces s, who sold the Moorish people to the Christians, walking down the streets and crying. It is said that the princess and a Christian Captain fell in love at the Christian 'Conquest wartime'. They met in a secret place inside the walled city. The secret entrance would be used by the Christian Captain to besiege the city and defeat the Moorish. She was walled up and cries every night for an impos sible love.

QUE STION S: WHAT CAN YOU S E E INSIDE THE STAR AR CHWAY ?

4.Storks Palace (Palace de las Cig端e単as) The Palace de las Cigue単as is located at the Plazuela de S an Mateo, and was built in the 15th century. The

building has a crenellated tower that stands out from

the other palaces in the walled city. A s you may have

noticed, it is the only tower as such in C叩ceres, History has it that Queen Isabel the Catholic ordered that all the towers of Caceres be removed, but she made an exception for this tower because the palace belonged to Captain Diego de Ovando, who was a member of her Royal Council and the only one who supported Isabel the Catholic when she confronted with Juana la Beltraneja.Today the building is the Military Command Headquarters of Caceres and it has the Weapons Museum inside.

QUE STION S: HOW DO YOU S AY 'STORK' IN S PANISH ? (LOOK AT THE TOWER' S NAME)

5. Palace of Carvajal The Palace of Carvajal is

located at Calle Amargura, and it was built in the 15th century. It has a cylindrical

tower from Moorish times, from the 12th century. There are

only three original corner balconies in Spain., one of them belongs to this palace. Today it houses the Tourism Office.

QUE STION S: I HAVE/ HAVEN'T S E EN THE CO RNER B ALCONY IN THE PALACE OF CA RVAJAL.

6. Palace de los Golfines de Abajo The Palace de los

Golfines de Abajo is

one of the best palaces in the monumental area of Caceres. It was built in the 15th century as a

Gothic structure, but it

has 17th century Plateresque decoration. There are two towers of different sizes on each side. The front of the building has a semicircular arch with coats of arms at each end. The Catholic Kings used to stay in this palace. Its facade is one of the most decorative and colorful facades of the monumental area. The story has it

that there is a ghost that lives in this palace. Many people say they hear strange noises at night. from the building. It seems to be a good ghosts that is very comfortable in the palace and has decided to stay there.

QUE STIONS: THE HIGHE ST TOWER OF THIS PALACE IS ON THE RIGHT / LEFT.

7. Casa del A guila The Casa del Aguila belonged to the Sande

Family, as indicated by the large coat of arms with the spread eagle. The facade has a beautiful Gothic

window from the 15th century.

QUE STION S: WHICH OTHER ELEMENTS CAN YOU S E E IN THE COAT OF ARM S ?

8.Casa del S ol / Callejón de la (Sun House/Nun's back alley) The Casa del Sol is located in the Callejon de la Monja. It is also called the Casa de los

Solis, from that family name. It was built in the 15th century and reformed in the 16th

century. Its popular name comes from the coat of arms of the S olis family, presided by a sun, with eight snake heads biting the rays. The

legend has it that the family received its noble title for a service to the Queen, for taking a message from Caceres to Valladolid on horseback in only one day. (From Cáceres to Valladolid: 500 km.) Long way on horseback in the 16th century !!!!

QUE STION S: I HAVE / HAVEN'T FOUND THE S OLIS FAMILY'S COAT OF ARM S. 9. Convent of the Company of Jesus The Convent of the Company of Jesus is a Jesuit Seminary that was built in the 18th century in the Baroque style, with Churrigueresque influences. The facade

has a series of columns with compounded capitals and a segmented pediment under a balcony. Today it houses offices of the Regional Government of Extremadura, the film library, and the San Jorge Exhibition Center. It was painted in white

during the Black Death to desinfect the convent from this terrible epidemy. It has been preserved in that colour since then.

QUE STION S: HOW MANY COLUMN S CAN YOU S E E ON THE FRONT FAÇADE ?

10. Mayoralgo Palace The Mayoralgo Palace was

built between the 14th and 15th centuries and has a

beautiful 16th century facade with twin windows and the Mayoralgo coat of arms.

There is an exceptional Mudejar courtyard with pointed arches that rest on square and beveled columns from the 14th century.

11. Palace of Hernando de Ovando The Palace of Hernando de Ovando is located at the Plaza de

Santa Maria and was built in 1519. It was the palace of Hernando de

Ovando, the brother of Friar Nicolas de Ovando, the first governor of

Hispaniola, the present island that is divided between Haiti and the

Dominican Republic. The facade has a sgraffito shield from the 18th

century. . There is one tower that has an inscription of the year 1480.

12. Palace Toledo-Moctezuma The Palace Toledo-Moctezuma is a palace that was built between the 14th and 15th centuries, although the main works were done in the 16th and 17th centuries by a niece of an Aztec

princess, Isabel de Moctezuma, who was married to a captain from Caceres, Juan Cano S aavedra. He went to the Americas and worked for Hernan Cortes (the conqueror of Mexico) The main rooms of the palace have al fresco paintings of Roman emperors, busts of Aztec kings, and scenes of European cities. There is a

beautiful cupola on top of the building. This palace shove represents the

fusion of Spanish and Latin American culturre after the disccver of the New World.

QUE STION S: WHAT COLOUR IS THE CUPOLA OF THE PALAC E ?

13. Tower de los Sande The Tower de los Sande is a Gothic tower that is located in

the Calle de Orellana and was built in the 14th century. The first window has an orgive arch that rest on two columns that are framed by an alfiz. The second window has a

semicircular arch and was decorated with the coat of arms

of the house of Sande. The facade has another coat of arms with five fleur-de-lys, that belonged to the Aldana family. The tower belonged to a palace that has disappeared.

QUE STION S: WHAT ATTRACTED MY ATTENTION FROM THIS TOWER WA S...........

14. Palace of the Marqueses de Torreorgaz The Palace of the Marqueses de Torreorgaz has different architectural styles, such as the Gothic style of the doors

and windows and the tower. This palace was built on the foundations of a Moorish building in the fourteenth

century, and the stone family shield of the owners still hangs proudly over the main entrance. The Parador

Nacional de Cรกceres is now housed in this palace. Many famous politians from all over Spain and Europe stay there during meetings and conventions.

15. The Monkey House (La Casa del Mono) Beautiful house owned by a merchand and his wife. Legend has it that they couldn't have children. The merchand brought a monkey as a present to his wife to bridge that gap in their lives. The monkey was spoilt and it even had its own room, toys and it was treated like their child. Little time after that, the woman had a baby. A s the monkey was not the central figure of the family any more, it took the baby one night and throw it through the window that it is preserved even today.

QUE STION S

LOOK FOR THE MONKEY ON THE CORNER OF THE HOU SE. 16. The Arab house.

You may find this house in the Jewish quarter. It is said that there is another ghost who lives with the family.

Knocks and strange noises are heard at night. People say they are already used to this phantom.

QUE STION S WHAT AR E STRE ET S LIKE IN THE JEWISH QUA RTER ?

MAIN SQUARES: Main Square: One of the most beautiful

squares of Extremadura. The weekly market was held here in the past.Two towers attract

our attention: the Moorish tower on the right and the Bujaco tower, on the left. The last one is one of the most representative sights of Cáceres.

QUE STION S: QUOTE AN IMPO RTANT SIGHT IN THE MAIN S QUARE..................

Sta. María square: typical medieval square and scenario of many foreign and national films. Beautiful depature and meeting point of foreigners who come and visit the beautiful walled city.

QUE STION S: THE NAME O S THE STATUE IN THIS S QUARE IS.......

San Jorge's square: pitoresque and marvellous

square. It has the statue of St. George, patron saint of Cáceres. The artisan activity of the city was developped in this square.

QUE STION S: WHERE IS ST. G EORG E' S STATUE PLACED ?

Las Veletas Square: this square was also scenario for many well- known Spanish and foreign films. Even today is scenario for many artisans and falcony performances during the Medieval Festival.

QUE STION S: LOOK A ROUND YOU FOR THE BIG CLOCK ON ONE OF THE SIGHTS IN THIS S QUARE.....HAVE YOU FOUND IT?