[Cheongsong Tourism Blossomingon the Strength of UNESCO] <5> Spain, a Repository of Natural and Cult

The Prado MuseumHouses No Cultural Property ItemsLooted from Other Countries, Showing the Spirit of Spain
The Hidden Spanish Culture Due to the Seclusion Policy Was Disclosed to People around the World by Napoleon.

Spain prides itself on having a long history and abundant natural and cultural heritages.

The Spanish people have a high level of awareness of their tradition and history. Their principle is "preservation in the original form." When an exterior wall of a building is repaired, the repair work should pass a deliberation of a private architecture commission in advance even if the building is in private ownership. And such repair work is hardly approved.

This is the reason why there are many buildings with traditional exteriors, preserved for hundreds of years, in urban areas. The same can be said of nature. Tremendous investments are put into the preservation of nature and related research. Not only governments but also local colleges, organizations and individuals have the same will and goal.

The values pursued in Spain are in line with those of UNESCO, and Spain has a lot of heritages registered with UNESCO. Spain is a country with the most Global Geoparks (13 Global Geoparks) in Europe.

◆Prado Museum Shows the Spirit of Spain

You should visit the Prado Museum to see the spirit of Spain and values of UNESCO. Located in Madrid, Spain, the Prado Museum represents the spirit and pride of Spain.

The Prado Museum, considered one of the world's best three art galleries, houses not a single cultural property item that was looted from other countries. The cultural properties are mostly owned by the royal family and have been preserved for hundreds of years by the Spanish people.

Opened in 1819, the Prado Museum celebrates its 200th anniversary on November 19, this year.

In the past, the Spanish art was not well-known internationally. After the Renaissance, Felipe IV banned bringing Spanish art works out of the country. Until the 1900s, people must have known little about Spanish artists.

And Napoleon broke the ban. Napoleon moved art works of great Spanish artists to different places around the Europe and the Spanish painting styles were beginning to be known in the world.

The Prado Museum exhibits art works of renowned Spanish artists, such as Velazquez, El Greco and Bosch. The museum houses about 6,000 pieces of collection, and about 3,000 pieces among them are exhibited. Spanish artists left art works in various fields, such as religion, history, culture and nature, showing the hidden aspects of Spain to people around the world.

Among them, Goya is an artist who is related to the heartbreaking history of Korea. Goya's The Third of May 1808, exhibited in the Prado Museum, contains the heartbreaking history.

Inspired by the painting, Picasso completed Massacre in Korea in 1951. Although it is not known which historical event the painting depicts,scholars studying world art history assume that it may depict the Nogun-ri Massacreor the Sinchon Massacrein which Korean civilians were killed by US soldiers in 1950.

◆UNESCO Heritage in Spain

The entire city of Toledo is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Toledo was a cultural and political center of Spain before the capital was moved to Madrid in 1560. And Catedral Primada Toledois considered the Mother Church of diocese and exhibits the world's first Bible with illustrations.

The Burial of the Count of Orgazby El Greco, considered one of the world's three greatest religious paintings, is exhibited in the Church of Santo Tomé in Toledo. The painting illustrates a local legend.According to the legend,when the Count of Orgaz was buried after death, Saint Stephen (a saint in the 1st century) and Saint Augustine (a saint in the 4th century)descended in person from the heavens and buried him by their own hands.

There is a villags built using the natural environment.

Ronda is a village built between gorges.There is the Puente Nuevo a huge bridge, which spans the 120-meter-deep chasm, and a chamber above the central arch is unique.

Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Range, Granada was the last foothold of the Nasrid Kingdom, a Muslim dynasty that ruled Spain for about eight centuries, beginning in 711. The Alhambra was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Recently, the Alhambra was widely known in Korea due to the classical guitar piece Memories of the Alhambra and a drama of the same name starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye.

In the palce, there is Generalife Gardens, which is described as "a pearl set in emeralds." The Albaicin is the best place to have a night view of the Alhambra. To preserve cultural assets, the Alhambra and other cultural sites limit the number of tourists at 10 percent of previous years' tourists.

Today, a figure representing Barcelona is Leo Messi, a soccer player of FC Barcelona in the Primera Liga. Antonio Gaudi, the genius Spanish architect, is another figure from the past who represents Barcelona. There are several works designed by Gaudi in Barcelona and the most famous ones are Sagrada Familiaand Park Guell.

The Sagrada Familia is considered the greatest building designed by Gaudi in his late years. The 12 towers, built on the four façades, represent 12 apostles.

The Sagrada Familia is currently divided into a preserved part and a reproduced part. It is not because Spain does not have the technology to preserve it in its original form. The reason behind it is that Spanish people consider both the original and reproduced parts as having historical value.

Park Guellwas designed as a garden city by Gaudi and it was originally developed as a site for high-end mansions. Later, the Barcelona government purchased the site and turned it into a park. Gaudi's style can be felt from arched roofs, beautiful fountains and splendid windows and tiles.