"Spain is different!" Spaniards use to say. Spanish culture is widely known for Flamenco music and dance, bullfights, fantastic beaches, ‘paella’ and lots of sunshine. But it has so much more to offer than that. It is - and has been for thousands of years - one of the cultural centers of Europe. The history of Spain is one of the most passionate histories you may find. The modern world would not have been what it is today if the Spanish had not gotten in the way. The Iberian Peninsula became the target of various civilizations: the Carthaginians and the Romans fought for her control, the Arabs conquered and ruled for over 700 years, followed by the Christian Kings. The Catholic Monarchs were the ones who initiated the largest empire the world has ever seen with the conquest of the Americas. The empire grew with each ruling generation, reaching its peak with King Felipe II or Phillip II. He was ruler of various Spanish realms ranging from the islands of the Philippines, named in his honor, all the way to the Americas, the unified Spanish-Portuguese territories, the Netherlands, Italy and areas of today’s Germany. Despite its glorious past, Spain eventually became victim of its own wealth and the empire that was once in expansion began to decline: the Spanish economical and political decadence era began with continuous exterior foreign wars and civil revolts. The independence achieved by the Spanish territories of the Americas and the 19th century loss of the last Spanish overseas colonies - Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines - ended up shaping the world into the one we know today. Spain has an extraordinary artistic heritage. Spain's architecture ranges from prehistoric monuments in Minorca in the Balearic Islands, to the Roman ruins of Merida and Tarragona, Jewish and Moorish monuments in Córdoba or Granada, the decorative Lonja in Seville, Mudéjar buildings, Gothic cathedrals, castles, fantastic modernist monuments and Gaudí's intricate fabulist sculptures in Barcelona. The Romans controlled Spain for some 600 years, and left one of the richest and most varied architectural legacies of all, including walled cities, theatres, amphitheatres, arenas, aqueducts and bridges. The Middle Ages are a particularly exciting period in Spanish architecture because of the meeting of two major cultures: Christian and Muslim - Moorish is the usual term in the Spanish context. Christian and Moorish architecture reflects their different perspectives of the world or of changing circumstances; this is particularly so in their houses of worship, palaces and castles. A very interesting phenomenon in Spanish architecture is: Mozarabic and Mudejar architecture, the results of the close proximity in which Christians and Moors lived. As we move from the Middle Ages, changing political and/or social factors had an important impact on Spanish architecture. Including the Renaissance and baroque buildings in Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. And the change of royal dynasty in the 18th century and of Romanticism in the 19th century. The political instability in the first half of the 20th century also affected Spanish architecture, as well as Franco dictatorship, and the resurging vitality of the post-Franco years – and the result has been that both native-born and foreign architects have produced stunning architectural works. And all your questions can be answered if you come to Spain, to discover its amazing stories and secrets...