Córdoba is the most beautiful World Heritage city in Spain.

This has been established by the users of the Lonely Planet Spain Instagram account who have participated

in the macro-survey proposed by the travel guide editor

.

Followers of the firm's social network (which now exceed 100,000) were able to choose between the 15 localities in our country that have been recognized with this title by UNESCO (Alcalá de Henares, Ávila, Baeza, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Mérida, Salamanca, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona, Toledo and Úbeda).

The competition was based on eliminations (round of 16, quarter-finals, semifinals ...) among the 15 candidates, until reaching the grand final, in which

Córdoba defeated Toledo after a close vote:

57% of the More than 52,000 participants in the survey chose the Andalusian city, compared to 43% who preferred Toledo.

In third and fourth position, were Santiago de Compostela and Ávila

, respectively.

The recognition is deserved, since the Andalusian jewel bathed by the Guadalquivir is one of the most visited treasures of our country.

Despite being small, the thousand-year-old city has countless enclaves that make it unique, not in vain

is it currently the one with the most titles of World Heritage Site in the world

: to the Mosque-Cathedral (declared in 1984), its historic center (in 1994),

the Fiesta de los Patios Cordobeses

(Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) that is celebrated in May and

Medina Azahara

, the city that Abd-al Rahman III had built at the foot of Sierra Morena, eight kilometers de Córdoba (declared in 2018).

Interior of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba

The monuments

Strolling through the historic center of Córdoba, whose monumental heritage is in perfect condition, is to take a look at a past in which various cultures coexisted: Christian, Islamic and Jewish.

The Mosque-Cathedral, the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, the Synagogue or the Roman bridge are examples of this mix.

The biggest attraction is

the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba

.

The beautiful temple began to be built as a mosque in the year 786. During the Caliphate it was subject to extensions and became the second largest mosque in the world, behind Mecca.

After the Reconquest, in 1238, it was consecrated as a cathedral and, in 1523, its Plateresque-style Renaissance basilica was built.

The interior is accessed after passing through

the Puerta del Perdón

(Mudejar) and

the Patio de Los Naranjos

(Patio de las Abluciones in times of the Caliphate).

Inside, 856 columns of marble, jasper, and granite support 365 two-color horseshoe arches.

The mihrab of marble, stucco and colored Byzantine mosaics on a gold and bronze background joins the spectacular Royal Chapel (1371).

Calahorra Tower and Roman Bridge, Córdoba.

Another must-see is

El Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos,

a military building built in 1328 on the old Andalusian Alcázar, formerly the residence of the Roman governor and customs.

The magnificent gardens and patios are of Mudejar inspiration.

The Roman bridge

,

the Jewish quarter

,

the Torre de Calahorra

, the Roman theater, the Royal Stables and the Plaza de la Corredera are other places to go.

The alleys

Away from the tourist routes, around the Mosque and extended to other neighborhoods, there is a charming network of tiny, narrow and hidden streets that are worth discovering.

They are

Las callejas de Córdoba

, which have their particular festival in October, and date from the Muslim era.

Many are barrier streets with no exit.

Calleja de las Flores.

Playgrounds

Córdoba is also famous for its patios, some very old adorned with abundant flowers and well-cared flower pots.

Although these reach their maximum splendor during the Fiesta de los Patios (in May), the main ones can be visited throughout the year, with guided tours through a selection of the most popular and winners of different awards, which also offer a global vision of tradition and its culture (https://patios.cordoba.es).

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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