View source for Toledo, Spain

{{Short description|City in Castilla–La Mancha, Spain}}
{{Other uses|Toledo (disambiguation){{!}}Toledo}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Toledo
| official_name      = 
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = 
| native_name_lang   = 
| settlement_type    = [[Municipalities of Spain|Municipality]]
| total_type         = 
| nicknames           = ''La ciudad imperial'' (The Imperial City) and ''Ciudad de las Tres Culturas'' (City of the Three Cultures)
| image_skyline      = {{Multiple image
  | perrow = 1/2
  | border = infobox
  | total_width = 280 
  | caption_align = center
  | image1 = Toledo (37737041515).jpg
  | caption1 = Toledo and the [[Tagus]] River
  | image2 = Toledo Cathedral, from Plaza del Ayuntamiento.jpg
  | caption2 = [[Toledo Cathedral|Cathedral]]
  | image3 = Alcázar_of_Toledo,_Spain._May,_morning.jpg
  | caption3 = [[Alcázar of Toledo|Alcázar]]
}}
| image_flag         = Bandera de Toledo.svg
| flag_alt           = 
| image_shield       = Escudo de la ciudad de Toledo.svg
| shield_alt         = 
| image_map          = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=285|frame-height=180|frame-align=center|frame-coordinates={{Coord|39.5|N|3.7|W}}|zoom=4|type=point|title=Toledo|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|text=Interactive map of Toledo.}}
| map_caption        = Location of Toledo
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Spain
| subdivision_type1  = [[Autonomous Community]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Castilla–La Mancha]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Province of Toledo|Toledo]]
<!-- Politics -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_party       = {{Small|[[People's Party (Spain)|PP]]}}
| leader_title       = [[Alcalde|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Carlos Velázquez
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = [[Carpetani|Pre-Roman]]
| established_title1 = 
| established_date1  = 
| founder            = 
| named_for          = <!-- Area -->
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_land_km2      = 232.1
<!-- Elevation -->| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_max_footnotes = 
| elevation_min_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 529
| elevation_max_m    = 
| elevation_min_m    = <!-- Population -->
| population_note    = 
| population_as_of   = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| population_total   = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
<!-- General information -->| timezone1          = 
| utc_offset1        = 
| timezone1_DST      = 
| utc_offset1_DST    = 
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|39|51|24|N|4|1|28|W|region:ES-CM_type:city(84,300)|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = Postcodes
| postal_code        = 45001–45009
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = +34 925
| website            = {{URL|toledo.es/}}
| module             = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| Official_name = Historic City of Toledo
| Criteria = Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv
| ID = 379
| Year = 1986
| child       =yes
| Area = 259.85 ha
| Buffer_zone = 7,669.28 ha
}}
}}

'''Toledo''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|t|ɒ|ˈ|l|eɪ|d|oʊ}} {{respell|tol|AY|doh}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/amp/english/toledo|title=Toledo|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=14 April 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|es|toˈleðo|lang|Pronunciation of Toledo in Spanish.ogg}}) is a city and [[Municipalities of Spain|municipality]] in [[Spain]]. It is the capital of the [[province of Toledo]] and the ''[[de jure]]'' seat of the government and parliament of the [[autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous community]] of [[Castilla–La Mancha]].

Toledo is primarily located on the right (north) bank of the [[Tagus]] in central [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]], nestled in a bend of the river.

Built on a previous [[Carpetani]]an settlement, Toledo developed into an important Roman city of [[Hispania]], later becoming the capital of the [[Visigothic Kingdom]] and seat of a [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toledo|powerful archdiocese]]. Often unsubmissive to [[Emirate of Córdoba|Umayyad central rule]] during the Islamic period, Toledo nonetheless acquired a status as a major cultural centre promoting productive cultural exchanges between the [[Islamic world]] and [[Latin Christendom]], which it retained after the [[Fitna of al-Andalus|collapse of the caliphate]] and the creation of the [[Taifa of Toledo]] in the early 11th century. Following the [[Siege of Toledo (1085)|Christian conquest in 1085]], Toledo continued to enjoy an important status within the [[Crown of Castile]] and remained open to Muslim and Jewish influences for the next two centuries.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Ṭulayṭula: Capital de la cultura árabe medieval|first=Zeinab |last=Shawky Sayed|page=144|journal=Un Mundo, Muchas Miradas|publisher=[[University of the Basque Country|Servicio Editorial de la UPV/EHU]]|issue=2|year=2009|url=https://ojs.ehu.eus/index.php/Mundo/article/view/1588}}</ref> In the early modern period, the economy stayed afloat for a while after the loss of political power to [[Madrid]] thanks to the silk industry, but Toledo entered a true decline in the 1630s, in the context of [[The General Crisis|overall economic recession]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://oppidum.es/oppidum-08-09-pdf/op08-09.07_casa.pdf|title=Una visión histórica, literaria y gráfica del territorio, ciudad y arquitectura de Toledo en la Edad Moderna|first=Elena María de la|page=230|last=Casa Martínez|journal=Oppidum|issn=1885-6292|issue=8–9|year=2012–2013}}</ref>

In the 21st century, population growth in the municipality has largely concentrated in the [[Santa María de Benquerencia]] ({{Also known as}} Polígono) district,<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://ceclmdigital.uclm.es/pdf.raw?query=id:0002524466&page=14&lang=en&view=prensa1|title=Toledo creció en nueve años en 2.208 habitantes mientras el Polígono aumentó en 2.916|date=September 2019|journal=Vecinos|issue=337}}</ref> a modern residential area detached from the historic centre located upstream on the left (south) bank of the Tagus. {{As of|2024|January}}, the municipality had a population of 86,526.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tabla2902 |url=http://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=2902 |access-date=2016-03-01 |website=www.ine.es}}</ref> The municipality has an area of {{convert|232.1|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.

The city has a [[Toledo Cathedral|Gothic cathedral]] and a long history in the production of [[bladed weapon]]s, which are now commonly sold as souvenirs. Toledo was declared a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 1986 for its extensive monumental and cultural heritage.

== Toponym ==
Over the centuries, the city has been known by various names: ''Toletum'' in [[Latin]], ''Tulaytulah'' ({{Lang|ar|طليطلة}}) in Arabic, ''Toldoth'' ({{Lang|lad|טולדות}}) in [[Judaeo-Spanish]], and ''Tolétho'' in [[Andalusi Romance]].<ref name="diputoledo">{{cite web |title=La ciudad de Toledo en la web de la Diputación de Toledo |url=http://www.diputoledo.es/global/areas/turismo/muni_datos.php?id_area=11&id_cat=&f=&codine=45168&id_ent=222 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923214950/http://www.diputoledo.es/global/areas/turismo/muni_datos.php?id_area=11&id_cat=&f=&codine=45168&id_ent=222 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |access-date=12 March 2021}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> The earliest written reference to ''Toletum'' appears in the work of the Roman historian [[Livy]], who suggested that the name derived from ''Tollitum'', which evolved into ''Tollitu'', ''Tollito'', ''Tolleto'', ''Tolledo'', and eventually ''Toledo''. The name is thought to mean "raised" or "elevated". An alternative interpretation, cited by Martín Gallego, attributes the name to the "double bends or meanders formed by the river that surrounds it." The 12th-century writer Abu Abd Allah al-Ayyubi claimed that ''Tulaytulah'' ({{Lang|ar|طليطلة}}), the [[Arabic]] name for the city, means "the joyful", though he offered no further explanation.<ref name="diputoledo" /> Jewish tradition derives the name from the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] ''toledot'' ("generations" or "histories") or ''tulaytula'' ("wandering" or "migration"), associating it with Jewish exiles who are said to have settled in the area following the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|destruction of Jerusalem]] in 70 CE.<ref>{{Citation |last=Gerber |first=Jane S. |title=The Jews of Muslim Spain |date=2021 |work=The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 5: Jews in the Medieval Islamic World |volume=5 |page=166 |editor-last=Lieberman |editor-first=Phillip I. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-history-of-judaism/jews-of-muslim-spain/E9F1E53E1E65B34A8ACBB9A8BD967B68 |access-date=2025-05-29 |series=The Cambridge History of Judaism |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781139048873.009 |isbn=978-0-521-51717-1}}</ref>

The name Toledo has been adopted by five cities in the [[United States]]—located in the states of [[Toledo, Ohio|Ohio]], [[Toledo, Illinois|Illinois]], [[Toledo, Oregon|Oregon]], [[Toledo, Iowa|Iowa]], and [[Toledo, Washington|Washington]]—as well as by other localities in Canada, [[Toledo Settlement|Belize]], [[Toledo, Paraná|Brazil]], Portugal, [[Toledo, Norte de Santander|Colombia]], the [[Toledo, Cebu|Philippines]], and [[Toledo, Uruguay|Uruguay]]. In Spain, there are four additional places bearing the name in the provinces of Huesca, Ourense, Asturias, and Tenerife.

One of Toledo's well-known epithets, "The City of Three Cultures", refers to a historical period during which Christians, Jews, and Muslims coexisted in the city. However, this label has been described as "grandiose" and is often attributed to politicians and tourism promoters. Critics argue that the myth of peaceful religious coexistence masks a more complex history marked by religious oppression.{{sfn|Palomero Plaza|2007|p=175}}

==Coat of arms==
{{Main|Coat of arms of Toledo (Spain)}}
The town was granted arms in the 16th century, which were based on the [[coat of arms of the King of Spain]] by special royal privilege.

==History==
{{main|History of Toledo, Spain}}
{{For timeline}}

===Roman era and late antiquity===

Toledo ({{langx|la|Toletum}}) is described by the Roman historian [[Livy]] (ca. 59 BCE – 17 CE) as ''urbs parva, sed loco munita'' ("a small city, but fortified by location"). Roman general [[Marcus Fulvius Nobilior (consul 189 BC)|Marcus Fulvius Nobilior]] fought a battle near the city in 193 BCE against a confederation of [[Celts|Celtic]] tribes, defeating them and capturing a king called Hilermus.<ref>{{cite book|author=John S. Richardson|title=The Romans in Spain|publisher=Blackwell|date=1996|page=54}}</ref><ref>Livy, ''History of Rome'', 35, 22</ref> At that time, Toletum was a city of the [[Carpetani]] tribe in the region of [[Carpetania]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rubio Rivera|first1=Rebeca|title=Continuidad y cambio en el proceso de romanización del ámbito celtibérico meridional y carpetano|url=https://www.academia.edu/2085388|website=academia.edu|date=January 2008|access-date=7 November 2015}}</ref> It was incorporated into the [[Roman Empire]] as a ''[[civitas stipendiaria]]'' (a tributary city of non-citizens) and later as a [[municipium]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Tsiolis|first1=Vassilis|title=El primer recinto amurallado de Toledo|url=https://www.academia.edu/11311342|website=academia.edu|date=6 March 2015 |access-date=7 November 2015}}</ref> With this status, city officials obtained [[Roman citizenship]] for public service, and the forms of [[Roman law]] and politics were increasingly adopted.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kulikowski|first1=Michael|title=Late Roman Spain and Its Cities|date=2004|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore}}</ref> At approximately this time, a [[Circus (building)|Roman circus]], city walls, [[Thermae|public baths]], and a municipal water supply and storage system were constructed in Toletum.<ref name="scribd.com">{{cite web|last1=Rubio Rivera|first1=Rebeca|title=El circo romano de Toledo y la Vega Baja en época romana|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/265093313/Art-Circo-Romano-Rebeca-Rubio-1|website=scribd.com|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref>

The Roman circus in Toledo was one of the largest in [[Hispania]]. The circus could hold up to 15,000 spectators. A fragmentary stone inscription records circus games paid for by a citizen of unknown name to celebrate his achieving the sevirate, a kind of priesthood conferring high status.<ref name="scribd.com" /> Games were held in the circus late into the 4th and early 5th centuries, an indication of active city life and ongoing patronage by wealthy elites.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rubio Rivera|first1=Rebeca|title=El Circo Romano de Toledo y la Vega Baja en Época Romana|date=2001|pages=38–39|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/265093313/Art-Circo-Romano-Rebeca-Rubio-1|access-date=25 November 2015}}</ref>

Toledo started to gain importance in late antiquity. There are indications that large private houses (''domus'') within the city walls were enlarged, while several large villas were built north of the city through the 3rd and 4th centuries.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rubio Rivera|first1=Rebeca|title=El Circo Romano de Toledo y la Vega Baja en Época Romana|date=2001|page=51|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/265093313/Art-Circo-Romano-Rebeca-Rubio-1|access-date=25 November 2015}}</ref> Church councils were held in Toledo in the years [[First Council of Toledo|400]] and [[Second Council of Toledo|527]] to discuss the conflict with [[Priscillianism]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Richardson|first1=John|title=The Romans in Spain|date=1996|publisher=Blackwell}}</ref> In 546 (or possibly earlier), [[Visigoth]] rulers installed the capital of their kingdom in Toledo.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Memorias de la Real Academia de Buenas Letras de Barcelona|year=2000|volume=25|pages=447–448|title=Barcino, de sede imperial a ''vrbs regia'' en época visigoda|first1=Josep M.|url=https://www.raco.cat/index.php/MemoriasRABL/article/view/23775/23613|last1=Gurt Esparraguera|first2=Cristina|last2=Godoy Fernández}}</ref> King [[Theudis]] was in Toledo in 546, where he promulgated the only law of which records remain from the period, known from a single manuscript.<ref name="Late Roman Spain and Its Cities">{{cite book |last1=Kulikowski |first1=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/lateromanspainit00kuli |title=Late Roman Spain and Its Cities |date=2004 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=9780801879784 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lateromanspainit00kuli/page/n289 265] |url-access=limited}}</ref>

Throughout the 7th century, a series of further church councils—the so-called [[Councils of Toledo]]—attempted to reconcile differing theological views and enacted anti-Jewish laws.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Visigothic Spain, 409–711|url=https://archive.org/details/visigothicspaina00coll|url-access=limited|date=2004|publisher=Blackwell|page=[https://archive.org/details/visigothicspaina00coll/page/n66 57]|isbn=9780631181859}}</ref> By the end of the 7th century, the bishop of Toledo was the leader of all other bishops in Hispania, a situation unusual in Europe. The city was also unmatched as a symbolic center of monarchy.<ref name="Arab Conquest of Spain">{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Roger |title=Arab Conquest of Spain |date=1989 |publisher=Blackwell |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Arab Conquest of Spain|date=1989|publisher=Blackwell|page=43}}</ref>

When internal divisions developed among the Visigothic nobles, [[Tariq bin Ziyad]] captured Toledo in 711 or 712<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Visigothic Spain, 409–711|url=https://archive.org/details/visigothicspaina00coll|url-access=limited|date=2004|publisher=Blackwell|page=[https://archive.org/details/visigothicspaina00coll/page/n143 134]|isbn=9780631181859}}</ref> on behalf of the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus]] as part of the [[Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula]]. Tariq's superior, Governor Musa, disembarked in [[Cádiz]] and proceeded to Toledo, where he executed the Visigothic nobles, destroying much of the existing power structure.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Visigothic Spain, 409–711|url=https://archive.org/details/visigothicspaina00coll|url-access=limited|date=2004|publisher=Blackwell|page=[https://archive.org/details/visigothicspaina00coll/page/n142 133]|isbn=9780631181859}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Arab Conquest of Spain|date=1989|publisher=Blackwell|page=30}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===
[[File:España - Toledo - Baño Árabe 001.JPG|thumb|[[Baños de Tenerías]], one of the Muslim baths in the city]]
Following the Umayyad conquest, invaders were ethnically diverse, and available evidence suggests that in the area of Toledo (known as ''Tulaytilah'' in Arabic), [[Berbers|Berber]] settlement predominated over [[Arab]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Roger |title=Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797 |date=1989 |publisher=Blackwell |page=195}}</ref> In 742, the Berbers in Al-Andalus rebelled against the Arab Umayyad governors. They took control of the north and unsuccessfully laid siege to the city.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797|date=1989|publisher=Blackwell|pages=108–110|edition=Paperback 1994}}</ref>

The city retained its importance as a literary and ecclesiastical centre well into the mid-8th century, as the [[Chronicle of 754]] demonstrated.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797|date=1989|publisher=Blackwell|pages=57–80|edition=Paperback 1994}}</ref> During this period, several letters show of the primacy that the church of Toledo held.{{Refn|group=n.|"Not only were its clerics still well enough equipped in intellectual terms to provide authoritative guidance on a wide range of ecclesiastical discipline and doctrine, but this was also actively sought."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797|date=1989|publisher=Blackwell|page=72|edition=Paperback 1994}}</ref>}}

Under the Umayyad [[emirate of Cordoba]], Toledo was the centre of numerous insurrections against the Cordoban government from 761 to 857.<ref>Roger Collins, ''Early Medieval Spain: Unity in Diversity, 400–1000'', (St. Martin's Press, 1995), 187.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Roger |title=Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797 |date=1989 |publisher=Blackwell |edition=Paperback 1994 |pages=172, 201–203}}</ref> Girbib ibn Abdallah, a poet from Toledo, wrote verses against the Umayyads, helping to inspire a revolt in the city against the new emir in 797.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797|date=1989|publisher=Blackwell|pages=209–210|edition=Paperback 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031|date=2014|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|pages=32–33|edition=Paperback 2014}}</ref> By the end of the 8th century, the Umayyads had made Toledo the administrative center of the [[Central March]] of Al-Andalus.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031|date=2014|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|pages=27–28|edition=Paperback 2014}}</ref><!--[[File:View of Toledo, AD 976.jpg|thumb|270x270px|Depiction of ''people from Toledo'' in AD 976, from the 10th-century [[Codex Vigilanus]].]]--> In 852, a new revolt broke out in Toledo. The Umayyad governor was held hostage to secure the return of Toledan hostages held in Córdoba. In reprisal for a prior attack by Toledans, Emir [[Muhammad I of Córdoba|Muhammad I]] sent an army to attack them but was defeated. Toledo allied with King [[Ordoño I]] of Asturias. They fought together at the Battle of Guadacelete but lost. Later in 857, the Toledans attacked [[Talavera de la Reina|Talavera]] but were again defeated. In 859, Muhammad I negotiated a truce with Toledo. Though locked in conflict with neighboring cities, the city became virtually independent for twenty years. Cordoban authorities re-asserted control over Toledo in 873, after the successful Umayyad siege on the city, which forced defenders to submit.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031|date=2014|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|pages=43–44, 47|edition=Paperback 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031|date=2014|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|pages=79–81|edition=Paperback 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031|date=2014|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|page=171|edition=Paperback 2014}}</ref> The [[Banu Qasi]] gained nominal control of Toledo until 920. A new period of unruliness followed in the 920 and 930s,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Roger|title=Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031|date=2014|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|page=145|edition=Paperback 2014}}</ref> until Caliph [[Abd-ar-Rahman III]] captured the city in 932 after an extensive siege.<ref>Ann Christys, ''Christians in Al-Andalus 711–1000'', (Curzon Press, 2002), 20.</ref>
[[File:Location map Taifa of Toledo.svg|thumb|Territory controlled by the Taifa of Toledo circa 1037]]
In the wake of the early 11th-century [[Fitna of al-Andalus]], Toledo became the centre of an independent polity, the so-called [[Taifa of Toledo]], under the rule of the [[Dhulnunid dynasty|Dhu l-Nunid]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://al-qantara.revistas.csic.es/index.php/al-qantara/article/view/402/397|page=17|title=The emergence of the Taifa Kingdom of Toledo|first=David J.|last=Wasserstein|volume=21|issue=1|year=2000|journal=Al Qantara|publisher=[[Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas]]|location=Madrid|doi=10.3989/alqantara.2000.v21.i1.402|s2cid=159516994 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The population of Toledo at this time was about 28,000, including a Jewish population of 4,000.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reilly|first1=Bernard F.|title=Contest of Christian and Muslim Spain 1031–1157|date=1992|publisher=Blackwell|pages=5, 9, 15|edition=1995 paperback}}</ref> The [[Mozarab]] community had its own Christian bishop. The ''[[taifa]]'' was centered on the [[Tagus]] and bordered [[Sierra de Guadarrama]], [[Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha|Guadalajara]], [[Medinaceli]], the Taifa of Valencia and the [[Montes de Toledo|Mountains of Toledo]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reilly|first1=Bernard F.|title=Contest of Christian and Muslim Spain 1031–1157|date=1992|publisher=Blackwell|pages=6–7|edition=1995 paperback}}</ref>

The taifa, however, fell into political disarray, owing to the economic draining caused by the ''[[parias]]'' (tributes) imposed by the [[Kingdom of León]] as well as territorial mutilations, and so a revolt erupted in 1079, which was followed by the [[Aftasid dynasty|Aftasid]] ruler of [[Badajoz]] taking control of the city.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://raco.cat/index.php/ImagoTemporis/article/view/292993/381434/|journal=Imago Temporis: Medium Aevum|year=2013|title=En los orígenes del cruzadismo peninsular: el reinado de Alfonso VI (1065-1109)|first=Carlos de|last=Ayala|pages=499–537 |doi=10.21001/imagotemporis.v0i0.292993|location=Lleida|publisher=[[University of Lleida|Universitat de Lleida]]|doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 }}</ref>

On 25 May 1085, [[Siege of Toledo (1085)|Alfonso VI of León took Toledo]] and established direct personal control over the city from which he had been exacting tribute. Around that time, the city's demographics featured a heterogeneous composition, with Mozarabs, Muslims, and Jews, to which incoming Christians from northern Iberia and Frankish elements were added. Initially, therefore, different ''[[fuero]]s'' were simultaneously in force for each community.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/25677/1/Historia_Medieval_17_14.pdf|page=433|title=La (re)conquista cristiana de Toledo: un estudio sobre los nuevos patrones de ordenamiento del territorio y sus habitantes|first=María de la Paz|last=Estevez|doi=10.14198/medieval.2011.17.14|issue=17|year=2011|journal=Anales de la Universidad de Alicante. Historia Medieval|issn=0212-2480|publisher=[[University of Alicante|Universidad de Alicante]]}}</ref> After the Christian conquest, the city's Mozarab community grew by immigration from the Muslim south.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reilly|first1=Bernard F.|title=Contest of Christian and Muslim Spain 1031–1157|date=1992|publisher=Blackwell|page=20|edition=1995 paperback}}</ref>

Toledo preserved its status as a cultural centre. A [[Toledo School of Translators|translation centre]] was established in which books in Arabic or Hebrew would be translated into Castilian by Muslim and Jewish scholars, and from Castilian into Latin by Castilian scholars, thus letting long-lost knowledge spread through Christian Europe again. Under the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toledo|Roman Catholic archdiocese of Toledo]], multiple persecutions (633, 653, 693) and burnings at the stake of Jews (638) occurred; the [[Kingdom of Toledo (Crown of Castile)|Kingdom of Toledo]] followed up on this tradition with forced conversions and mass murder (1368, 1391, 1449, 1486–1490) and rioting and bloodbath against the Jews of Toledo (1212).<ref name=STR-JewishPersecution>{{cite web|last1=Grosser|first1=P.E. and E.G. Halperin|title=Jewish Persecution – History of AntiSemitism – Lesser Known Highlights of Jewish International Relations in the Common Era|url=http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/HistoryJewishPersecution/|website=simpletoremember.com|publisher=SimpleToRemember.com – Judaism Online|access-date=6 February 2015}}</ref><ref name=GrosserHalperin>{{cite book|last1=Grosser|first1=Paul E.|last2=Halperin|first2=Edwin G.|last3=foreword by St. John|first3=Robert|last4=preface by Littell|first4=Franklin H.|title=Anti-Semitism : the causes and effectos of a prejudice|date=1979|publisher=Citadel Press|location=Secaucus, N.J.|isbn=978-0806507033|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w1wIAAAAIAAJ&q=Anti-Semitism:+Causes+%26+Effects+of+a+Prejudice+629|access-date=6 February 2015}}</ref>

A major popular revolt erupted in 1449, with elements of tax mutiny, anti-Jewish and anti-[[converso]] sentiment, and appeals to the civic community, eventually expanding from an urban revolt to anti-seigneurial riots in countryside settlements outside the city.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/132824/1/Historia-Medieval_24_06.pdf|journal=Anales de la Universidad de Alicante. Historia Medieval|issue=24|year=2023|pages=117–150|doi=10.14198/medieval.23139|title=La violencia de la comunidad. Movilizaciones colectivas, luchas antiseñoriales y control del territorio en la sublevación de Toledo de 1449|first=Óscar|last=López Gómez|location=San Vicente del Raspeig|publisher=[[University of Alicante|Universidad de Alicante]]}}</ref>

===Modern era===
[[File:Braun Toledo UBHD.jpg|thumb|upright=2.3|center|Toledo as depicted in the ''[[Civitates orbis terrarum]]'' (1572)]]
During the persecution of the Jews in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, members of the local Jewish community produced texts on their long history in Toledo.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
<!--[[File:El Greco - View and Plan of Toledo - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|200x200px|''[[View and Plan of Toledo]]'' by city resident [[El Greco]] c. 1608]]-->
After the crushing of the [[Revolt of the Comuneros]], [[Charles I of Spain|Charles V]]'s court was installed in Toledo, with the monarch choosing the city as his residence at least 15 times from 1525 on.<ref name=vaquero /> Charles granted the city a coat of arms.<ref name=vaquero /> From 1528 to 1561 the population increased from 31,930 to 56,270.<ref name=vaquero>{{Cite web|year=2013|publisher=Ateneo de Toledo|url=http://www.ateneodetoledo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Felipe-II-y-Toledo.pdf|first=Ángel|last=Santos Vaquero|title=¿Por qué Felipe II trasladó la Corte de Toledo a Madrid?|access-date=2020-06-24|archive-date=2021-07-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713230853/http://www.ateneodetoledo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Felipe-II-y-Toledo.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1561, during the first years of his son [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]]'s reign, the royal court was moved to [[Madrid]].

The archbishops of Toledo remained powerful brokers in the political and religious affairs of Spain for the rest of the ''Ancien Régime'',<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://helvia.uco.es/bitstream/handle/10396/2211/ELEM8282120367A.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|title=Historiografía de la Iglesia de Toledo en los siglos XVI a XIX|first=José Antonio|last=García Luján|page=367|journal=En la España medieval|issn=0214-3038|volume=2|year=1982}}</ref> also owning large amounts of seigneurial land across most of the southern half of the [[Meseta Central|Inner Plateau]] and some nearby territories.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://webs.ucm.es/BUCM/tesis//19972000/H/0/H0054001.pdf|title=La población del arzobispado de Toledo en los Tiempos Modernos|first=José|last=Camacho Cabello|year=1996|pages=13–14}}</ref>

[[File:Women at the Siege of the Alcázar in Toledo - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright|Republican militia women besieging the Alcázar, controlled by the Nationalist faction]]
The mass arrival of deported unruly [[Moriscos]] from [[Kingdom of Granada (Crown of Castile)|Granada]] ('moriscos nuevos') in Toledo and its lands (6,000 arrived to the city only, at least temporarily){{Sfn|Gómez Vozmediano|1999|pp=77–78}} in the wake of the [[Rebellion of the Alpujarras (1568–71)|Alpujarras rebellion]] posed a formidable logistic challenge, and the uneasy preexisting system of social relations between the ''moros viejos'' ('old Moors') and the [[Old Christian]]s was disrupted.{{Sfn|Gómez Vozmediano|1999|pp=95–96}} By and large, Granadan new Moriscos were subject to xenophobic abuse and became stigmatised as bloodthirsty and sacrilegious.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Delincuencia y conflictividad morisca en tierras toledanas (ss. XV-XVII)|first=Miguel Fernando|last=Gómez Vozmediano|journal=Anales Toledanos|issn=0538-1983|issue=37|year=1999<!--|pages=67–106-->|url=https://realacademiatoledo.es/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/05.-Delincuencia-y-conflictividad-morisca-en-tierras-toledanas-ss.-Xv-XVII-por-Miguel-Fernando-G%C3%B3mez-Vozmediano.pdf|pages=95–96}}</ref>

[[File:1858-06-30, El Museo Universal, Inauguración del ferro-carril de Toledo.jpg|thumb|left|Opening of the railway in Toledo in June 1858]]

The city excelled in [[silk]] manufacturing during the early modern period. The silk industry reached a peak in the 16th century, entering a protracted decline in the later years of that century and ultimately disappearing by the turn of the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Incidentes en el mundo sedero de Toledo. Siglo XVIII|url=http://www.tiemposmodernos.org/tm3/index.php/tm/article/view/2076/725|first=Ángel|last=Santos Vaquero|year=2017|journal=Tiempos Modernos|volume=8|issue=35|pages=151–168}}</ref>
<!--[[File:Panorama of Toledo from the Virgen del Valle by Juan Laurent.jpg|Panorama of Toledo from the Virgen del Valle by Juan Laurent, c. 1872, [https://www.nga.gov/research/library/imagecollections/features/solemnity-of-shadows.html Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC]|right|frameless]]-->

The [[Peninsular War]] affected the city in a very negative way.{{sfn|Cerro Malagón|1995|p=22}} Over the 19th century, Toledo underwent a progressive change from a convent city to a bureaucratic city.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://descargasarchivo.toledo.es/high.raw?id=0000008091&name=00000001.original.pdf&attachment=La+calle+y+el+agua+en+el+Toledo+del+siglo+XIX.+Propuestas+y+realidades+urbanas+%2F+Rafael+del+Cerro+Malag%C3%B3n.-..pdf|page=12|title=La calle y el agua el el Toledo del siglo XIX. Propuestas y realidades urbanas|publisher=Instituto Provincial de Investigaciones y Estudios Toledanos. [[Provincial Deputation of Toledo|Diputación Provincial de Toledo]]|year=1995|first=Rafael del|last=Cerro Malagón|isbn=84-87103-52-9}}</ref> The city being quite impervious to external influence at the time, the [[bourgeoisie]] exerted a limited influence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ciudadespatrimonio.org/publicaciones/evolucion-urbana/toledo.pdf|title=La evolución urbana de Toledo|page=12|first=J. Ignacio|last=Álvarez Ahedo|year=2017}}</ref>

Following the exclusion of Toledo from the railway to the Portuguese border in the 1850s, the construction of a rail connection from Castillejo to Toledo promoted by the [[José de Salamanca, 1st Count of los Llanos|Marquis of Salamanca]] was approved in June 1856.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.es/espana/castilla-la-mancha/toledo/abci-ferrocarril-y-primera-estacion-toledana-1858-1919-201904092101_noticia.html|website=[[ABC (Spain)|ABC]]|title=El ferrocarril y la primera estación toledana (1858-1919)|date=12 April 2019|first=Rafael del|last=Cerro Malagón}}</ref> The line was opened on 12 June 1858.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.es/toledo/20140318/abcp-estacion-tren-toledo-llega-20140318.html|website=[[ABC (Spain)|ABC]]|title=La estación de tren de Toledo llega a su centenario|date=18 March 2014|first=M|last=Cebrián}}</ref> Tourism fostered by the arrival of rail contributed to the development of the [[hospitality industry]] in the late 19th century.{{sfn|Cerro Malagón|1995|p=28}} By the turn of the 20th century, Toledo's population stood at about 23,000.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Storm|page=352|first=Eric|url=https://hispania.revistas.csic.es/index.php/hispania/article/view/400/401|location=Madrid|publisher=[[Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas]]|journal=[[Hispania. Revista Española de Historia]]|year=2013|volume=73|issue=244|issn=0018-2141|doi=10.3989/hispania.2013.010|title=Patrimonio local, turismo e identidad nacional en una ciudad de provincias: Toledo a principios del siglo XX|doi-access=free|hdl=1887/26207|hdl-access=free}}</ref> The neighborhood of [[Santa Bárbara (Toledo)|Santa Bárbara]] came into existence after the arrival of rail.{{sfn|Álvarez Ahedo|2017|pp=16–17}}

Following the [[Spanish coup of July 1936|July 1936 coup d'etat in Spain]], the acting military commander in Toledo, [[José Moscardó]], refused to provide weapons to Madrid and hid instead in the [[Alcázar of Toledo|Alcázar]] with a garrison of about 1,000 rebels, food, ammunition and some hostages.{{Sfn|Reig Tapia|1998|pp=120–121}} After 21 July, they became subject to [[Siege of the Alcázar|an unsuccessful siege by forces loyal to the Republic]] during the early stages of the [[Spanish Civil War]].{{Sfn|Reig Tapia|1998|p=112}} Leading rebel general (and soon-to-be dictator of Spain) [[Francisco Franco]] and his [[Army of Africa (Spain)|Army of Africa]] took a detour from their advance towards Madrid (which gave the Republicans time to build up the defenses in Madrid and receive early foreign support) and lifted the siege of the Alcázar in late September 1936.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gorostiza Langa|year=2013|volume=17|issue=457|journal=Scripta Nova|publisher=[[University of Barcelona|Universitat de Barcelona]]|location=Barcelona|issn=1138-9788|first1=Santiago|last2=Saurí Pujol|first2=David|url=http://www.ub.edu/geocrit/sn/sn-457.htm|title=Salvaguardar un recurso precioso: la gestión del agua en Madrid durante la guerra civil española (1936-1939)}}</ref> The two months of resistance of the garrisoned rebel military would become a core symbol of the mythology built around the [[Francoist regime]] and its ideology.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Reig Tapia|first=Alberto|title=El asedio del Alcázar: mito y símbolo político del franquismo|journal=[[Revista de Estudios Políticos]]|issn=0048-7694|url=https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/RevEsPol/article/download/46754/28238
|issue=101|year=1998|page=110}}</ref>

By 1950, the population was around 40,243.{{sfn|Álvarez Ahedo|2017|p=18}} Urban planning vis-à-vis the development of the neighborhoods of Palomarejos and [[Santa María de Benquerencia|Polígono]] ensued in the second half of the 20th century.{{sfn|Álvarez Ahedo|2017|p=18}}

[[File:Toledo Spain by Nedi Lufcic.jpg|thumb|Spanish rooftop view by Nedi Lufcic]]

In the 1980s, in the context of the creation of the [[autonomous communities]] in Spain, Toledo became the ''de facto'' capital of the autonomous community of [[Castilla–La Mancha]], hosting the seat of the [[Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha]] (the regional legislature) and the presidency of the [[Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha|regional government]] (the executive).

Toledo continues to be a major tourist destination, attracting visitors from around the world who come to see historic landmarks, such as the Toledo Cathedral, the Alcázar, and the city's many synagogues and mosques.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Toledo: Spain's Historic, Spiritual, and Artistic Capital |url=https://classroom.ricksteves.com/videos/toledo-spain-s-historic-spiritual-and-artistic-capital |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=classroom.ricksteves.com |language=en}}</ref>

Toledo hosts numerous cultural events and festivals, such as Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions and the Corpus Christi festival, which draw large crowds and celebrate [[Castilian Spanish]] religious and cultural traditions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Toledo {{!}} History, Culture & Architecture {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Toledo-Spain |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Climate==
Toledo has a typical [[cold semi-arid climate]] (Köppen: ''BSk''). Winters are cool, while summers are hot and dry. Precipitation is low and mainly concentrated in the period between mid-autumn and mid-spring. The highest temperature ever recorded in Toledo was {{convert|44.2|C|F|1}} on 13 August 2021; the lowest was {{convert|−13.4|C|F|1}} on 12 January 2021.<ref name="El País">{{cite web |url=https://elpais.com/espana/2021-01-12/la-ola-de-frio-congela-el-interior-de-espana-con-hasta-25-grados-bajo-cero.html|title=La ola de frío congela el interior de España con hasta 25 grados bajo cero  |publisher=[[El País]]|date=13 January 2021|access-date=13 January 2021|language=Spanish |trans-title=The cold wave freezes the interior of Spain to 25 degrees below zero}}</ref>{{Weather box
| location = Toledo, Spain, altitude {{convert|515|m|abbr=off}} (1991–2020), extremes (1982-present) 
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 22.0
| Feb record high C = 23.8
| Mar record high C = 29.0
| Apr record high C = 34.5
| May record high C = 37.7
| Jun record high C = 42.0
| Jul record high C = 42.9
| Aug record high C = 44.2
| Sep record high C = 41.3
| Oct record high C = 34.1
| Nov record high C = 26.2
| Dec record high C = 22.2
| year record high C = 
| Jan high C = 11.9
| Feb high C = 14.3
| Mar high C = 18.1
| Apr high C = 20.5
| May high C = 25.2
| Jun high C = 31.1
| Jul high C = 35.1
| Aug high C = 34.5
| Sep high C = 29.1
| Oct high C = 22.6
| Nov high C = 15.8
| Dec high C = 12.0
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 6.8
| Feb mean C = 8.4
| Mar mean C = 11.7
| Apr mean C = 14.1
| May mean C = 18.4
| Jun mean C = 23.7
| Jul mean C = 27.2
| Aug mean C = 26.8
| Sep mean C = 22.1
| Oct mean C = 16.6
| Nov mean C = 10.7
| Dec mean C = 7.3
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 1.7
| Feb low C = 2.6
| Mar low C = 5.2
| Apr low C = 7.7
| May low C = 11.6
| Jun low C = 16.3
| Jul low C = 19.3
| Aug low C = 19.1
| Sep low C = 15.0
| Oct low C = 10.5
| Nov low C = 5.5
| Dec low C = 2.5
| year low C = 
| Jan record low C = -13.4
| Feb record low C = -9.0
| Mar record low C = -5.8
| Apr record low C = -2.6
| May record low C = -0.3
| Jun record low C = 4.3
| Jul record low C = 10.0
| Aug record low C = 10.0
| Sep record low C = 5.4
| Oct record low C = 0.0
| Nov record low C = -5.6
| Dec record low C = -8.0
| year record low C = -13.4
| Jan precipitation mm = 25.3
| Feb precipitation mm = 24.6
| Mar precipitation mm = 33.0
| Apr precipitation mm = 39.5
| May precipitation mm = 38.9
| Jun precipitation mm = 18.7
| Jul precipitation mm = 5.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 8.6
| Sep precipitation mm = 20.7
| Oct precipitation mm = 48.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 37.7
| Dec precipitation mm = 35.9
| year precipitation mm = 337.3
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation days = 4.8
| Feb precipitation days = 4.6
| Mar precipitation days = 5.1
| Apr precipitation days = 6.1
| May precipitation days = 5.8
| Jun precipitation days = 2.7
| Jul precipitation days = 1.0
| Aug precipitation days = 1.5
| Sep precipitation days = 3.0
| Oct precipitation days = 6.5
| Nov precipitation days = 5.8
| Dec precipitation days = 5.9
| year precipitation days = 
| unit precipitation days = 1 mm
| Jan humidity = 75
| Feb humidity = 67
| Mar humidity = 59
| Apr humidity = 56
| May humidity = 51
| Jun humidity = 41
| Jul humidity = 34
| Aug humidity = 37
| Sep humidity = 48
| Oct humidity = 63
| Nov humidity = 73
| Dec humidity = 77
| year humidity = 
| Jan sun = 152
| Feb sun = 184
| Mar sun = 229
| Apr sun = 261
| May sun = 298
| Jun sun = 351
| Jul sun = 391
| Aug sun = 360
| Sep sun = 273
| Oct sun = 217
| Nov sun = 162
| Dec sun = 136
| year sun = 
| Jan percentsun = 51
| Feb percentsun = 61
| Mar percentsun = 62
| Apr percentsun = 65
| May percentsun = 67
| Jun percentsun = 78
| Jul percentsun = 86
| Aug percentsun = 85
| Sep percentsun = 73
| Oct percentsun = 63
| Nov percentsun = 54
| Dec percentsun = 46
| year percentsun = 
| source 2 = [[Agencia Estatal de Meteorología]] (AEMET OpenData)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aemet.es/es/datos_abiertos/AEMET_OpenData|title=AEMET OpenData|publisher=AEMET|access-date=2024-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/efemerides_extremos?w=0&k=clm&l=3260B&datos=det|title=Valores extremos. Toledo}}</ref>
| date = December 2023
| source = 
}}
{{Weather box
| location = Toledo, Spain, altitude {{convert|515|m|abbr=off}} (1982–2010)
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| collapsed = yes
| Jan high C = 11.5
| Feb high C = 14.0
| Mar high C = 18.1
| Apr high C = 19.9
| May high C = 24.2
| Jun high C = 30.5
| Jul high C = 34.6
| Aug high C = 34.0
| Sep high C = 29.0
| Oct high C = 22.1
| Nov high C = 15.6
| Dec high C = 11.6
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 6.4
| Feb mean C = 8.3
| Mar mean C = 11.6
| Apr mean C = 13.5
| May mean C = 17.6
| Jun mean C = 23.2
| Jul mean C = 26.8
| Aug mean C = 26.3
| Sep mean C = 22.0
| Oct mean C = 16.1
| Nov mean C = 10.5
| Dec mean C = 7.1
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 1.3
| Feb low C = 2.6
| Mar low C = 5.0
| Apr low C = 7.2
| May low C = 11.0
| Jun low C = 15.9
| Jul low C = 18.9
| Aug low C = 18.6
| Sep low C = 14.9
| Oct low C = 10.2
| Nov low C = 5.3
| Dec low C = 2.5
| year low C =

| Jan precipitation mm = 26.0
| Feb precipitation mm = 25.0
| Mar precipitation mm = 23.0
| Apr precipitation mm = 39.0
| May precipitation mm = 44.0
| Jun precipitation mm = 24.0
| Jul precipitation mm = 7.0
| Aug precipitation mm = 9.0
| Sep precipitation mm = 18.0
| Oct precipitation mm = 48.0
| Nov precipitation mm = 39.0
| Dec precipitation mm = 41.0
| year precipitation mm = 342.0
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 4.9
| Feb precipitation days = 4.7
| Mar precipitation days = 3.9
| Apr precipitation days = 6.4
| May precipitation days = 6.4
| Jun precipitation days = 2.9
| Jul precipitation days = 1.0
| Aug precipitation days = 1.5
| Sep precipitation days = 2.9
| Oct precipitation days = 6.8
| Nov precipitation days = 5.9
| Dec precipitation days = 6.3
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan snow days  =0.6
| Feb snow days  =0.5
| Mar snow days  =0.3
| Apr snow days  =0
| May snow days  =0
| Jun snow days  =0
| Jul snow days  =0
| Aug snow days  =0
| Sep snow days  =0
| Oct snow days  =0
| Nov snow days  =0.1
| Dec snow days  =0.2
| year snow days =

<!--Humidity-->| Jan humidity = 76.0
| Feb humidity = 69.0
| Mar humidity = 59.0
| Apr humidity = 58.0
| May humidity = 54.0
| Jun humidity = 45.0
| Jul humidity = 39.0
| Aug humidity = 41.0
| Sep humidity = 51.0
| Oct humidity = 66.0
| Nov humidity = 74.0
| Dec humidity = 79.0
| year humidity = 59.0
| Jan sun = 151
| Feb sun = 172
| Mar sun = 228
| Apr sun = 249
| May sun = 286
| Jun sun = 337
| Jul sun = 382
| Aug sun = 351
| Sep sun = 260
| Oct sun = 210
| Nov sun = 157
| Dec sun = 126
| year sun = 2922
| source 2 = [[Agencia Estatal de Meteorología]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/efemerides_extremos?w=0&k=clm&l=3260B&datos=det
 |title=Valores extremos. Toledo
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=3260B&k=clm|title=Valores normales Toledo}}</ref>
| date = December 2023
| source = 
}}

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1842|13580|1857|17275|1877|20331|1887|19817|1900|23375|1910|22745|1920|26175|1930|26907|1940|31467|1950|38136|1960|40660|1970|44190|1981|54335|1991|59802|2001|68382|2011|83872|2021|85254|source=[[National Statistics Institute (Spain)|INE]]<ref>{{cite web|title=INEbase. Alterations to the municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842|url=https://www.ine.es/intercensal/inicio.do|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Spain)|National Statistics Institute]]|language=es}}</ref>|align=none|cols=2}}

==Economy==
[[File:Espadas de Toledo.jpg|thumb|The manufacture and selling of swords was affected by the decrease in tourism caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publico.es/sociedad/espada-toledo-ultimos-espaderos-pandemia-sido-puntilla-esto-quedar-leyenda.html|website=[[Público (Spain)|Público]]|title=La pandemia funde el negocio de las espadas toledanas: "Esto se va a quedar como una leyenda"|date=3 October 2020|first=Álvaro|last=Celorio}}</ref>]]
The metal-working industry has historically been Toledo's economic base, with a great tradition in the manufacturing of swords and knives and a significant production of razor blades, medical devices, and electrical products. Soap and toothpaste industries, flour milling, glass, and ceramics have also been important.<ref name="economia">{{cite web | title = Economía de Toledo | url = http://www.grupoteresa.com/modules.php?name=Guia_Turistica&file=pueblos&id=112&page=3 | access-date = 9 July 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110711132053/http://www.grupoteresa.com/modules.php?name=Guia_Turistica&file=pueblos&id=112&page=3 | archive-date = 11 July 2011 }}</ref>

The manufacture of swords in the city of Toledo goes back to [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times, but it was under [[Al-Andalus|Moorish]] rule and during the [[Reconquista]] that Toledo and its guild of [[swordsmiths]] played a key role.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the Toledo sword-making industry enjoyed a great boom, to the point where [[Toledo steel]] came to be regarded as the best in Europe. Swords and daggers were made by individual craftsmen, although the sword-makers guild oversaw their quality.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} In the late 17th and early 18th century, production began to decline, prompting the creation of the Royal Arms Factory in 1761 by order of [[Charles III of Spain|King Charles III]]. The Royal Factory brought together all the sword-makers' guilds of the city and was located in the former mint. In 1777, recognizing the need to expand the space, Charles commissioned the architect [[Francesco Sabatini|Sabatini]] to construct a new building on the outskirts of the city. This was the beginning of several phases of expansion. Its importance was such that it eventually developed into a city within the city of Toledo.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

In the 20th century, the production of knives and swords for the army was reduced to cavalry weapons only, and, after the Spanish Civil War, to the supply of swords to the officers and NCOs of the various military units. Following the closure of the factory in the 1980s, the building was renovated to house the campus of the Technological University of Castilla–La Mancha in Toledo.<ref name=ref_duplicada_1>{{cite web | title = lacerca.com – Las espadas forjadas en Toledo se remontan a la época romana | url = http://www.lacerca.com/noticias/las_espadas_forjadas_toledo_se_remontan_epoca_romana-21888-1.html | access-date = 15 July 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080802121638/http://www.lacerca.com/noticias/las_espadas_forjadas_toledo_se_remontan_epoca_romana-21888-1.html | archive-date = 2 August 2008 }}</ref> According to the Statistical Institute of Castilla–La Mancha, in 2007 the share of employment by sector was as follows: 86.5% of the population engaged in the services, 6.6% in construction, 5.4% in industry and 1.5% in agriculture and livestock.<ref name="estadistica">{{cite web|url=http://www.ies.jccm.es/Fichas_municipales/Fichas/45168.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213143119/http://www.ies.jccm.es/Fichas_municipales/Fichas/45168.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 December 2009|title=Instituto de Estadística de Castilla-La Mancha – Ficha municipal|access-date=21 July 2008}}</ref>

===Unemployment===
In the decade up to 2008, unemployment in absolute terms remained fairly stable in the city of Toledo, but in 2009 this figure increased significantly: nearly 62% higher than 2008, with the number of unemployed rising from 2,515 to 4,074 (figures at 31 March each year), according to the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla La Mancha.<ref name="paro">{{cite web | title = Instituto de Estadística de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha – Datos estadísticos de Toledo (Todos los Informes > Informes por Temas > Estadísticas Municipales > Mercado de Trabajo) | url = http://difusion.ies.jccm.es/wds/ReportFolders/ReportFolders.aspx | access-date = 5 April 2009 | archive-date = 7 July 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220707160652/http://difusion.ies.jccm.es/wds/ReportFolders/ReportFolders.aspx | url-status = dead }}</ref> Of this 62%, one-third of the increase took place in the first quarter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Informe Anual 2008: Anuario Estadístico del Mercado de Trabajo de Castilla-La Mancha |url=https://empleoyformacion.castillalamancha.es/sites/default/files/2020-06/Informe%20Anual%202008.pdf |website=Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha |language=es |access-date=18 June 2025}}</ref>

According to other statistics from the same source, almost half the unemployed in the city of Toledo (1,970 persons) are among those whose education does not go beyond the compulsory secondary level.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} However, there are groups whose level of studies is such that they have not been registered as unemployed, including those who have completed class 1 professional training, or those with virtually nonexistent unemployment rates (less than 0.1%), which is the case of the unemployed with high school degrees or professional expertise.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

The largest group among the unemployed is those who have no qualifications (27.27%).{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

==Politics==
{{main|Politics of Toledo (Spain)}}
[[File:Toledo City Council 01.jpg|thumb|Toledo City Hall]]
Toledo has a 25-member City Council, elected by closed lists every four years. The 2023 election saw a pact between the 9 members of the [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]] and the 4 members of [[Vox (Spain)|Vox]], allowing Carlos Velázquez of the PP to become mayor, a position which had been held by the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|Socialists]] since 2007.

==Culture==
[[File:David Roberts (1796-1864) - A View of Toledo and the River Tagus - RCIN 405042 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|''[[A View of Toledo and the River Tagus]]'' by [[David Roberts (painter)|David Roberts]], 1841]]
The old city is located on a mountaintop with a 150-degree view, surrounded on three sides by a bend in the [[Tagus|Tagus River]], and contains many historical sites, including the [[Alcázar of Toledo|Alcázar]], the cathedral (the [[primate (bishop)|primate]] church of Spain), and the Zocodover, a central market place.

From the 4th century to the 16th century, about thirty [[synod]]s were held at Toledo. The earliest, directed against [[Priscillian]], was assembled in 400. At the synod of 589, the Visigothic king [[Reccared I|Reccared]] declared his conversion from [[Arianism]] to [[Catholicism]]; the synod of 633 decreed uniformity of Catholic liturgy throughout the Visigothic Kingdom and took stringent measures against baptized Jews who had relapsed into their former faith. Other councils forbade circumcision, Jewish rites, and observance of the Sabbath and festivals. Throughout the seventh century, Jews were flogged, executed, had their property confiscated, were subjected to ruinous taxes, forbidden to trade, and, at times, dragged to the baptismal font.<ref>S. Katz, ''The Jews in the Visigothic Kingdoms of Spain and Gaul'', (Cambridge 1937). Cited in [[Paul Johnson (writer)]], ''A History of the Jews'', p. 177</ref> The council of 681 assured to the [[Archdiocese of Toledo|archbishop of Toledo]] the primacy of Spain. At [[Guadamur]], very close to Toledo, the [[Treasure of Guarrazar]] was excavated in 1858, the best example of [[Visigothic art and architecture|Visigothic art]] in Spain.

As nearly one hundred early canons of Toledo found a place in the ''[[Decretum Gratiani]]'', they exerted an important influence on the development of [[Canon law|ecclesiastical law]]. The synod of 1565–1566 concerned itself with the execution of the decrees of the [[Council of Trent]], and the last council held at Toledo, 1582–1583, was guided in detail by [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]].

Toledo had large communities of Muslims and Jews until they were [[Alhambra Decree|expelled from Spain in 1492]] (Jews) and 1502 ([[Mudéjar]]s). Today's city contains the religious monuments the [[Santa María la Blanca|Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca]], the [[Synagogue of El Tránsito]], the [[Mosque of Cristo de la Luz]] and the [[Church of San Sebastián, Toledo|Church of San Sebastián]] dating from before the expulsion, still maintained in good condition. Among [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]]-speaking [[Sephardi Jews]], in their various diasporas, the [[family name]] [[Toledano]] is still prevalent, indicating ancestry from the city (the name is also attested among non-Jews in various [[Spanish language|Spanish-speaking countries]]).

In the 13th century, Toledo was a major cultural centre under the guidance of [[Alfonso X of Castile|Alfonso X]], known as "El Sabio" ("the Wise") for his love of learning. The [[Toledo School of Translators]], established under Archbishop [[Raymond de Sauvetât|Raymond of Toledo]], continued to bring vast stores of knowledge to Europe by rendering great academic and philosophical works in Arabic into Latin. The [[Palacio de Galiana]], built in the Mudéjar style, is one of the monuments remaining from that period.

The [[Cathedral of Toledo]] (''Catedral de Toledo'') was built between 1226 and 1493 and modeled after [[Bourges Cathedral]], though it also combines some characteristics of the Mudéjar style. It is remarkable for its incorporation of light and features a [[Baroque]] altar called ''[[El Transparente]]'', several storeys high, with fantastic figures of stucco, paintings, bronze castings, and several colors of marble, a masterpiece of medieval [[mixed media]] by [[Narciso Tomé]]. For a few minutes every day, a shaft of light shines through, from which this feature of the cathedral derives its name. The Mozarabic Chapel in the Toledo Cathedral still uses the [[Mozarabic Rite]] and music.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Companion to Medieval Toledo: Reconsidering the Canons|first=Yasmine|last=Beale-Rivaya|year=2018|isbn=9789004380516|page=100|publisher=Brill Publishers}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Art, Liturgy, and Legend in Renaissance Toledo: The Mendoza and the Iglesia Primada|first=Lynette M.|last=F. Bosch|year=2010|isbn=9780271043814|page=61|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press}}</ref> Two notable bridges secured access to Toledo across the Tagus, the [[Puente de Alcántara, Toledo|Alcántara bridge]] and the later built [[Puente de San Martín (Toledo)|San Martín bridge]].

The [[Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo|Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes]] is a [[Franciscan]] [[monastery]], built 1477–1504, in a remarkable combination of Gothic-Spanish-Flemish style with Mudéjar ornamentation.

Toledo was home to [[El Greco]] for the latter part of his life, and is the subject of some of his most famous paintings, including ''[[The Burial of the Count of Orgaz]]'', exhibited in the Church of Santo Tomé.

When Philip II moved the [[royal court]] from Toledo to [[Madrid]] in 1561, the old city went into a slow decline from which it never recovered.

===Toledo steel===
{{Main|Toledo steel}}
Toledo has been a traditional sword-making, steel-working centre since about 500 BCE, and came to the attention of Rome when used by [[Hannibal]] in the [[Punic Wars]]. Soon, it became a standard source of weaponry for [[Roman legion]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.swordsfromtoledo.com/history.htm |title=History of Swords from Toledo |work=Swords from Toledo |access-date=31 July 2013 |archive-date=1 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801183829/http://www.swordsfromtoledo.com/history.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Toledo steel]] was famed for its very high quality [[alloy]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/kap_5/advanced/t5_1_1.html#_1 |title=Damascene Technique in Metal Working |access-date=31 July 2013 |first=Mariano |last=Zamorano |work=Fabrica de Espadas y Armas Blanca |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516044041/http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/kap_5/advanced/t5_1_1.html#_1 |archive-date=16 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> whereas [[Damascene steel]], a competitor from the [[Middle Ages]] on, was also famed for a specific metal-working technique.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aceros-de-hispania.com/toledo-swords.htm |title=History of the Toledo Swords |work=Aceros de Hispania |access-date=31 July 2013 |language=es}}</ref>

Today there is a significant trade, and many shops offer all kinds of swords to their customers, whether historical or modern swords used in films, as well as armor from the medieval period and other times, which are also exported to other countries.

===Gastronomy===
[[File:CARCAMUSAS.JPG|thumb|[[Carcamusa]]s (made of lean pork with seasonal vegetables) are considered a local specialty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.larazon.es/gastronomia/20220204/pd3rvodl4vgmnpjdkuy6pezhoi.html|website=[[La Razón (Madrid)|La Razón]]|title=Este es el plato más típico de cada provincia española|first=Ángel Luis de|last=Santos|date=4 February 2022}}</ref>]]
Some of the local specialties include lamb roast or stew, ''cochifrito'', ''alubias con perdiz'' (beans with partridge) and ''perdiz estofoda'' (partridge stew), ''[[carcamusa]]'', ''[[migas]]'', ''[[Gachas#Castile-La Mancha|gachas manchegas]]'', and ''tortilla a la magra''. In addition, there are local versions of dishes from the nearby capital of Spain, Madrid, as is the case of the ''cocido toledano''. Two of the city's most famous food products are [[Manchego]] cheese and [[marzipan]], which has a [[Protected Geographical Indication]] (''mazapán de Toledo'').<ref name = "gastronomia">{{cite web|title=red2000.com – Toledo : Gastronomía|url=http://www.red2000.com/spain/toledo/1gastro.html|access-date=11 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="platos_típicos">{{cite web|date=7 November 2020|title=viajegastronomico.com – Platos Típicos|url=https://viajegastronomico.com/gastronomia-espana/comida-tipica-toledo/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031111609/https://viajegastronomico.com/gastronomia-espana/comida-tipica-toledo/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 31, 2020|access-date=7 November 2020|website=Viajegastronomico.com}}</ref>
{{See also|Castilian-Manchego cuisine|l1=Cuisine of Castilla–La Mancha}}

===Holidays===
[[File:Corpus Christi - Toledo, Spain - 2010 -.jpg|thumb|right|2010 Feast of Corpus Christi]]
The Virgen del Valle pilgrimage is celebrated on May 1 at the Ermita de la Virgen del Valle, a popular spot for visitors.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} Holy Week, which has been declared of National Tourist Interest, is marked in spring with various processions (including several on Good Friday) and religious and cultural events.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} The {{ill|Corpus Christi (Toledo)|es|Corpus Christi en Toledo|lt=local feast of Corpus Christi}} has held the status of celebration of [[Fiestas of International Tourist Interest of Spain|International Tourist Interest]] since 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dclm.es/noticia.php?id=53810|website=Dclm|title=La Diputación toledana participa en la ofrenda floral del Corpus Christi|date=14 June 2017}}</ref> It was conventionally celebrated 60 days after [[Resurrection Sunday]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telecinco.es/informativos/sociedad/20220616/procesion-corpus-christi-toledo_18_06774306.html|website=[[Telecinco]]|title=Toledo se echa a la calle para celebrar la festividad del Corpus Christi|date=16 June 2022}}</ref> The celebration of Catholic feasts had its heyday during the [[Baroque]], post-[[Council of Trent|Trent]] period.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Zainak|volume=26|page=386|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11498145.pdf|title=El Corpus de Toledo. Una fiesta religiosa y profana en los siglos XVI y XVII|year=2004|first=Hilario|last=Rodríguez de Gracia}}</ref> A processional cortege travels around {{convert|2|km|mi|spell=in|abbr=off}} of streets and richly decorated awnings.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} The Virgen del Sagrario is celebrated on 15 August, featuring a procession inside the Cathedral and drinking water of the Virgin from jars.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} [[Labor Day in Toledo, Spain|Labour Day]] celebrations begin on the night of April 30.

==Main sights==
[[File:Toledo Cathedral, from Plaza del Ayuntamiento.jpg|thumb|right|[[Toledo Cathedral|Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo]]]]
[[File:TumbaBeatrizToledo.jpg|thumb|right|The tomb of [[Beatrice of Silva|Saint Beatrice of Silva]]]]
[[File:Alcázar de Toledo (52142644675).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Alcázar of Toledo]]]]
[[File:Castillo de san Servando - 01.jpg|thumb|[[Castle of San Servando]], formerly occupied by the Knights Templar]]
[[File:Puerta del Cambron, Toledo - view 3.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Puerta del Cambrón]], completed in 1576]]
The city of Toledo was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1940. UNESCO later gave the city the title of World Heritage in 1987. Sights include:
* The tomb of [[Beatrice of Silva|Saint Beatrice of Silva]], founder of the Order of the Immaculate Conception, at the [[Convent of the Franciscan Conceptionists (Toledo)|Monastery of the Conceptionist nuns]] of Toledo.
* Posada de la [[Santa Hermandad]], a type of military [[peacekeeping]] association of armed individuals, characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain.
* [[Castle of San Servando]], a medieval castle near the banks of the Tagus River and the Infantry Academy.
* The [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Toledo Cathedral|Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo]], dating from the thirteenth century, is the second biggest cathedral in Spain. Inside is the Baroque altarpiece El Transparente, created by Narciso Tomé.
* [[Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo|Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes]], in [[Isabelline Gothic]] style (15th century).
* The [[Museum of Santa Cruz|Renaissance Museo-Hospital de Santa Cruz]] (16th century).
* [[El Greco Museum, Toledo|El Greco Museum]], a house-museum designed as a recreation of the artist's home, which was lost centuries ago. It houses several important paintings.
* [[Santa María la Blanca]], the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing, now owned by the Catholic Church.
* [[Synagogue of El Transito]], in the Jewish Quarter. It is home to the Sephardic Museum.
* Hospital de Tavera Museum Duque de Lerma. Renaissance style, dating from the sixteenth century. Influenced the layout of El Escorial.
* Church of [[Santiago del Arrabal]], in Mudéjar style.
* [[Iglesia de Santo Tomé, Toledo|Iglesia de Santo Tome]]. Mudéjar style, from the fourteenth century; houses the famous Burial of Count Orgaz by El Greco.
* [[Mosque of Cristo de la Luz|El Cristo de la Luz]], a former small mosque-oratory built in 999, later extended with Mudéjar apse for conversion into a Catholic church.
* [[Galiana Palace]] (13th century), in Mudéjar style.
* [[Tornerías Mosque]] (11th century).
* [[Alcázar of Toledo|Alcázar]] fortress (16th century), located in the highest part of town, overlooking the city. Since 2009 it has housed the collection of the Army Museum.
* [[Iglesia de San Andrés, Toledo|Iglesia de San Andrés]], with its crypt containing 60 [[mummies]] of infantes, dukes, nuns, and others, in a good state of preservation, open to visitors.
* [[Puerta Bab al-Mardum]] (10th century), the oldest city gate of Toledo.
* [[Puerta de Bisagra|Puerta de Bisagra Antigua]] (10th century), the main entrance to the city in Andalusian times. Also known as "Puerta de Alfonso VI".
* [[Puerta del Sol, Toledo|Puerta del Sol]] (14th century), built by the Knights Hospitallers.
* [[Puerta de Bisagra Nueva]] (16th century), of Moorish origin re-built by Alonso de Covarrubias. The main entrance and face of Toledo today.
* [[Puerta del Cambrón]], of Muslim origin, re-built in the 16th century.
* [[Iglesia de San Román, Toledo|San Román]] (Museum of the Councils and Visigoth culture).
* Ermita del Cristo de la Vega, in Mudéjar style (11th century).
* [[Puente de Alcántara, Toledo|Alcántara bridge]], Roman bridge across the Tagus.
* [[Puente de San Martín (Toledo)|Puente de San Martin]], medieval bridge across the Tagus.
To mark the fourth centenary of the publication of the first part of ''[[Don Quixote]]'', the Council of Communities of Castilla–La Mancha designed a series of routes through the region crossing various points cited in the novel. Known as the Route of Don Quixote, two of the designated pathways, sections 1 and 8, are based in Toledo; those linking the Castillian city with La Mancha and the Toledo Mountains take advantage of the natural route that passes through the Cigarrales and heads to Cobisa, Burguillos of Toledo and Nambroca, where it takes the Camino Real of Sevilla to suddenly turn towards Mascaraque Almonacid de Toledo, near Mora in La Mancha.
[[File:Civic Centers in Toledo yeonu.jpg|thumb|Civic Centers in Toledo]]
The Mascaraque-Toledo stretch of the Route of Don Quixote has recently been officially included in the Camino de Levante branch of the [[Camino de Santiago]], starting in Valencia and passing through Alicante and Cartagena. Both routes on this stretch have been declared European Cultural Routes.

==Transport==
Toledo has long been an obligatory stop in the centre of the peninsula. The roads leading to historic Toledo are still used and in many cases have provided the basis for existing roads leading into the city.

===Roads===
From Toledo, the N-400 links the city with [[Cuenca, Spain|Cuenca]] via [[Ocaña, Spain|Ocaña]] and [[Tarancón]]. It is currently in the process of transformation into the future A-40 Castilla–La Mancha motorway, which will link Maqueda (where it joins the Extremadura motorway), Toledo, Ocaña (where it attaches to the Motorway of Andalusia), Tarancón (where it connects with the Levante motorway), Cuenca and [[Teruel]].

The old 401 National Road (Madrid-Toledo-Ciudad Real) was transformed in the late 1980s into the current A-42 as a result of splitting and removing the road that the various crossings included (Illescas, Yuncos, etc.).

The split path extends up to {{convert|7|km|0|abbr=off}} south of Toledo, towards Ciudad Real, where it continues as a conventional road. At this point, the A-42 connects with the Highway of the Vineyard that goes as far as Tomelloso. There are plans to extend the A-42, by a toll road, to Ciudad Real and [[Jaén, Spain|Jaén]].

In the early twenty-first century, the toll motorway AP-41 was built, in order to reduce [[congestion (traffic)|traffic congestion]] between Toledo and Madrid.

Toledo is also part of the N-403, Toledo–Maqueda–Ávila–Adanero State Highway Network. Part of the route of this road will be replaced by that of the aforementioned Castilla–La Mancha Highway.

In addition to these roads, several regional and provincial roads link the city with the regions of Montes de Toledo, La Jara, and La Mancha.

===Rail===
[[File:AVE class 112 Toledo.jpg|thumb|[[Renfe Class 112|AVE class 112]] entering the [[Toledo Railway Station]]]]
In the mid-nineteenth century, Toledo was one of the first Spanish cities to receive rail service, with the arrival of the Madrid – Aranjuez line, which was inaugurated by [[Isabella II]] on June 12, 1858. The current [[Toledo Railway Station]], (built in [[Neo-Mudéjar]] style), was opened on April 24, 1919.

The line suffered some technical issues and service disruptions but continued to serve as the main intercity route until the early twenty-first century. On July 2, 2003, the last conventional train service between the two capitals ended and work began on a high-speed link to Madrid, which entered service on November 15, 2005.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ramirez |first=Francisca |date=2020-11-22 |title=15 años del AVE que modernizó a Toledo |trans-title=15 years of the high-speed rail that modernized Toledo  |url=https://www.abc.es/espana/castilla-la-mancha/toledo/ciudad/abci-15-anos-modernizo-toledo-202011221329_noticia.html |work=ABC |language=Spanish |location=Toledo, Spain |access-date=2023-06-22}}</ref> The new line reduced the travel time to Madrid to just under 30 minutes.

===Air===
The nearest airport is [[Madrid–Barajas Airport]], located {{convert|88|km|0|abbr=on}} north east of Toledo.

==Health==
In the early 1960s, construction of the "Virgen de la Salud" Social Security Health Residence began. The original building still remains in use, although successive extensions were added (maternity, outpatient clinics, operating rooms, etc.) to the existing complex. The complex was also extended to move the clinic to a new nearby building, now converted into the [[Ildephonsus of Toledo|San Ildefonso]] Specialty Centre.
[[File:Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos1.jpg|thumb|right|The National Hospital for Paraplegics]]

The {{ill|National Hospital for Paraplegics|es|Hospital Nacional de Paraplégicos}}, inaugurated on 7 October 1974, became a national centre for the treatment of [[Spinal cord injury|spinal cord injuries]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.abc.es/sociedad/20140714/abci-toledo-avanza-elite-mundial-201407122224.html|journal=[[ABC (Spain)|ABC]]|title=Toledo avanza en la élite mundial de la investigación con parapléjicos|date=14 July 2014|first=Mercedes|last=Vega}}</ref> It also focuses on the social integration of patients.

The devolution of healthcare responsibilities to the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla–La Mancha gave new impetus to the health infrastructure, demonstrated in 2007 when construction began on the new General Hospital of Toledo in [[Santa María de Benquerencia]]. The different parts of the relevant health centres were also provided.

The Toledo Hospital Complex also features the integrated Geriatric Hospital Virgen del Valle, a result of reform and modernization of the old tuberculosis hospital built in the mid-twentieth century. The centre is located outside the city, near the Parador Nacional de Turismo Conde de Orgaz.

The city also has several private health centers, including Hospital de las Tres Culturas and Clínica Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

==Sport==
Toledo suffered from a shortage of sports facilities.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} Much of this problem was resolved when the Central School of Physical Education of the Army moved its headquarters to the premises of the Infantry Academy.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} In the 1990s, the city council took over the old facilities of the military centre, which now include an athletics track, Olympic swimming pool and an indoor sports hall, numerous outdoor courts built in the area of the former runway, having been demolished, and the old gym complex pools (indoor and outdoor).{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Besides these facilities, the city of Toledo has sports pavilions in the districts of [[Santa María de Benquerencia]], [[Santa Bárbara (Toledo)|Santa Bárbara]], San Antón (Complejo Deportivo), outdoor pools in Azucaica, Palomarejos, Santa María de Benquerencia, Santa Barbara and Santa Teresa and indoor swimming pools in the gardens of the Alcázar (old town), Santa María de Benquerencia and San Antonio.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
[[File:Partido de futbol toledo-real murcia.jpg|thumb|right|A football fixture between CD Toledo and [[Real Murcia]] at the [[Estadio Salto del Caballo]]]]
Toledo has a football team, [[CD Toledo]], founded on 24 April 1928.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=La Voz del Tajo|url=https://www.lavozdeltajo.com/noticia/31201/provincia/el-c.d.-toledo-celebra-sus-90-anos-de-existencia-con-una-exposicion-retrospectiva.html|date=7 April 2018|title=El C.D. Toledo celebra sus 90 años de existencia con una exposición retrospectiva}}</ref> Their home turf is the [[Estadio Salto del Caballo]], inaugurated on 23 November 1973.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.latribunadetoledo.es/noticia/z4d7547c7-fa15-ed54-11c18fb47f13e8e8/20140202/adios/primer/goleador/salto/caballo|journal=La Tribuna de Toledo|title=Adiós al primer goleador del Salto del Caballo|first=Sergio|last=Miguel|date=2 February 2014}}</ref> The team played for 7 seasons in the [[Segunda División]], during which it reached the play-off final for promotion to [[La Liga]] at the end of the 1993–94 season, losing 4–1 on aggregate to [[Real Valladolid]]. Toledo players have included [[Abel Resino]], [[Luis García Sanz|Luis García]], former Arsenal coach [[Unai Emery]], [[Rufete]] and [[Javier Casquero|Casquero]]. In the 2024–25 season, CD Toledo will play in the [[Tercera Federación]], the fifth tier of Spanish football.

Toledo has two basketball teams: CB CEI Toledo, with a long history of mixed success in both regional and national leagues (EBA) and has just{{when|date=August 2015}} been promoted to 1st Autonomic, and CB Polígono, whose male team was promoted to the EBA League for the 2009/10 season, {{clarify|date=March 2020}} seven years after relegation.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} This club is based in the [[Santa María de Benquerencia]] district and has one of the largest youth systems in Castilla–La Mancha.

Toledo has been represented in athletics since 2 April 1979 by the Toledo Athletic Club, which is characterised mainly by its success in cross-country, winning a large number of medals in the Spanish championships, in addition to its (male and female) athletes who competed in the 1st division of the national track league in the late 1990s. Among the athletes who have passed through its lanes are [[Julio Rey]], Roberto Parra, Chema Martinez and Julia Lobato.

Since the victory of [[Federico Bahamontes]], 'The Eagle of Toledo', in the [[1959 Tour de France]], cycling has been one of the most popular sports in the city. At present,{{when|date=August 2015}} however, no school in Santa María de Benquerencia has a velodrome.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} Other leading professional cyclists from the city include Nemesio Jiménez, who competed at the [[1968 Mexico City Olympics]], and Ángel de las Heras.

The volleyball club Voleibol Asociación Toledo plays in the National First Division, while the popular Toledo Rugby Club competes in the Madrid league system.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

At the individual level, the swimmer [[Javier Noriega]] and the marathon runner Julio Rey competed in both [[2004 Athens Olympics]] and [[2008 Beijing Olympics]]. Rey, the current Spanish marathon record holder (2 hours, 6 minutes, and 52 seconds) announced his retirement in October 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-10-22|title=Julio Rey, plusmarquista español de maratón, se retira por problemas físicos|url=https://www.eldiariomontanes.es/20091022/deportes/atletismo/julio-plusmarquista-espanol-maraton-20091022.html|access-date=2021-02-05|website=El Diario Montañes|language=es-ES}}</ref>

==Media==
Various local and provincial newspapers are published in the city. In addition, national newspapers such as the daily ABC publish unique local editions.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} Among the local newspapers are the subscription-based La Tribuna de Toledo and El Día de Toledo, as well as the free Global Castilla–La Mancha and Toledo News. The general information weekly magazines ''Echoes'' and Here are also published.

There is also local media on television, radio, and the Internet. CMM TV, the regional public television, is headquartered in Toledo.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contáctanos {{!}} Informacion Corporativa |url=https://www.cmmedia.es/informacion-corporativa/contactanos |website=CM Media |access-date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331115057/https://www.cmmedia.es/informacion-corporativa/contactanos |archive-date=31 March 2023}}</ref> In addition, there are several local television stations: Canal Diocesano-Popular TV and Teletoledo.

As regards radio stations, there is Radio Toledo (Onda Cero), as well as COPE, Cadena SER, RNE, RCM, and Radio Aquí, and the local Onda Polígono and the diocesan station Radio Santa Maria. In digital and social media: Onda Toledo, Toledo Digital, and La Cerca.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain}}
Toledo is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Toledo's sister cities|url=https://www.destinotoledo.com/en/toledos-sister-cities/|website=destinotoledo.com|publisher=Destino Toledo|date=2016-05-17|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Aachen]], Germany (1984)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Agen]], France (1973)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Corpus Christi, Texas]], United States (1989)
*{{flagicon|SYR}} [[Damascus]], Syria (1994)
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Guanajuato City]], Mexico (1978)
*{{flagicon|GRE}} [[Heraklion]], Greece (2014)
*{{flagicon|JAP}} [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], Japan (1972)
*{{flagicon|CUB}} [[Old Havana]], Cuba (2005)
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Safed]], Israel (1981)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Toledo, Ohio]], United States (1931)
*{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Veliko Tarnovo]], Bulgaria (1983)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Spain}}
* [[Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain]]
* [[Councils of Toledo]]
* [[Toledo School of Translators]]
* [[Palacio de Galiana]]
* [[Cerro del Bu]]
* [[Artificio de Juanelo]]
* [[List of people from Toledo, Spain]]

==References==
;Informational notes
{{reflist|group=n.}}

;Citations
{{Reflist}}

;Also
* {{SmithDGRG|title=TOLETUM}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Toledo, Spain}}
{{wikivoyage|Toledo (Spain)|Toledo, Spain}}
* [https://www.toledo.es/ Municipality]
* [http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/ciudades-pueblos/provincias/toledo.html Spain's official website – Info about Toledo]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Toledo
|N = [[Bargas]]; [[Olías del Rey]] and [[Mocejón]]
|NE = [[Aranjuez]]
|E = [[Almonacid de Toledo]] and [[Aranjuez]]
|SE = [[Nambroca]]
|S = [[Guadamur]]; [[Argés]]; [[Cobisa]]; [[Burguillos de Toledo]] and [[Nambroca]]
|SW = [[Guadamur]]
|W = [[Albarreal de Tajo]]; [[Guadamur|Dehesa de Daramezas (Guadamur)]] and [[Polán]]
|NW = [[Rielves]]
}}
{{Tourism in Toledo}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Spain}}
{{Municipalities in Toledo}}
{{Capitals of Provinces in Spain}}
{{Autonomous Community capitals of Spain}}
{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Toledo, Spain| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Castilla–La Mancha]]
[[Category:Municipalities in the Province of Toledo| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Populated places in the Province of Toledo| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Spain]]