Culture Spain

1 culture

1.1 world heritage sites
1.2 literature
1.3 art
1.4 sculpture
1.5 cinema
1.6 architecture
1.7 music , dance
1.8 cuisine
1.9 sport
1.10 public holidays , festivals

culture

culturally, spain western country. every aspect of spanish life permeated roman heritage, making spain 1 of major latin countries of europe. spanish culture marked strong historic ties catholicism, played pivotal role in country s formation , subsequent identity. spanish art, architecture, cuisine, , music has been shaped successive waves of foreign invaders, country s mediterranean climate , geography. centuries-long colonial era globalised spanish language , culture, spain absorbing cultural , commercial products of diverse empire.

world heritage sites



the pre-romanesque architecture of santa maría del naranco



burgos cathedral



aljafería of zaragoza



llotja de la seda in valencia



the hanging houses of cuenca @ museo de arte abstracto español



the sagrada família in barcelona

it should noted after italy (49) , china (45), spain third country in world world heritage sites. @ present time has 44 recognised sites, including landscape of monte perdido in pyrenees, shared france, prehistoric rock art sites of côa valley , siega verde, shared portugal (the portuguese part being in côa valley, guarda), , heritage of mercury, shared slovenia. in addition, spain has 14 intangible cultural heritage, or human treasures , spain ranks first in europe according unesco s intangible cultural heritage list, tied croatia.

1984 – alhambra, generalife , albayzín (granada, andalusia).
1984 – burgos cathedral (burgos, castile-león).
1984 – historic centre of córdoba (córdoba, andalusia).
1984 – monastery , royal site of el escorial (madrid).
1984 – works of antoni gaudí (barcelona, catalonia).
1985 – cave of altamira , palaeolithic cave art of northern spain (asturias, basque country , cantabria regions).
1985 – monuments of oviedo , kingdom of asturias (asturias).
1985 – old town of Ávila extra-muros churches (Ávila, castile-león).
1985 – old town of segovia , aqueduct (segovia, castile-león).
1985 – santiago de compostela (old town) (a coruña, galicia).
1986 – garajonay national park (la gomera, santa cruz de tenerife, canary islands).
1986 – historic city of toledo (toledo, castile-la mancha).
1986 – mudéjar architecture of aragon (provinces of teruel , zaragoza in aragon).
1986 – old town of cáceres (cáceres, extremadura).
1987 – cathedral, alcázar , archivo de indias in seville (seville, andalusia).
1988 – old city of salamanca (salamanca, castile-león).
1991 – poblet monastery (tarragona, catalonia).
1993 – archaeological ensemble of mérida (badajoz, extremadura).
1993 – route of santiago de compostela (provinces of burgos, león , palencia in castile-león, provinces of coruña , lugo in galicia, la rioja, navarre, , province of huesca in aragon).
1993 – royal monastery of santa maría de guadalupe (cáceres, extremadura).
1994 – doñana national park (provinces of cádiz, huelva , seville in andalusia).
1996 – historic walled town of cuenca (cuenca, castile-la mancha).
1996 – silk exchange of valencia (valencia).
1997 – las médulas (león, castile-león).
1997 – palau de la música catalana , hospital de sant pau in barcelona (barcelona, catalonia).
1997 – pirineos – monte perdido (huesca, aragon – spanish part / midi-pyrénées , aquitaine – french part). (shared france).
1997 – san millán yuso , suso monasteries (la rioja).
1998 (2010) – prehistoric rock art sites in côa valley (guarda, norte region – portuguese part) , siega verde (salamanca, castile-león – spanish part). (shared portugal).
1998 – rock art of iberian mediterranean basin on iberian peninsula (andalusia, aragon, castile-la mancha, catalonia, murcia , valencia regions).
1998 – university , historic precinct of alcalá de henares (madrid).
1999 – ibiza, biodiversity , culture (ibiza, balearic islands).
1999 – san cristóbal de la laguna (tenerife, santa cruz de tenerife, canary islands).
2000 – archaeological ensemble of tarraco (tarragona, catalonia).
2000 – archaeological site of atapuerca (burgos, castile-león).
2000 – catalan romanesque churches of vall de boí (lleida, catalonia).
2000 – palmeral of elche (alicante, valencia).
2000 – roman walls of lugo (lugo, galicia).
2001 – aranjuez cultural landscape (madrid).
2003 – renaissance monumental ensembles of Úbeda , baeza (jaén, andalusia).
2006 – vizcaya bridge (biscay, basque country).
2007 – teide national park (tenerife, santa cruz de tenerife, canary islands).
2009 – tower of hercules (a coruña, galicia).
2011 – cultural landscape of serra de tramuntana (majorca, balearic islands).
2012 – heritage of mercury. almadén (ciudad real, castile-la mancha – spanish part) , idrija (slovene littoral – slovenian part). (shared slovenia).

literature



corral de comedias de almagro, spanish golden age theatre lope de vega , calderon de la barca

the earliest recorded examples of vernacular romance-based literature date same time , location, rich mix of muslim, jewish, , christian cultures in muslim spain, in maimonides, averroes, , others worked, kharjas (jarchas).

bronze statues of don quixote , sancho panza in plaza de españa in madrid

during reconquista, epic poem cantar de mio cid written real man—his battles, conquests, , daily life.

other major plays medieval times mester de juglaría, mester de clerecía, coplas por la muerte de su padre or el libro de buen amor (the book of love).

during renaissance major plays la celestina , el lazarillo de tormes, while many religious literature created poets luis de león, san juan de la cruz, santa teresa de jesús, etc.

the baroque important period spanish culture. in times of spanish empire. famous don quijote de la mancha miguel de cervantes written in time. other writers period are: francisco de quevedo, lope de vega, calderón de la barca or tirso de molina.

during enlightenment find names such leandro fernández de moratín, benito jerónimo feijóo, gaspar melchor de jovellanos or leandro fernández de moratín.

tirant lo blanch final page

during romanticism, josé zorrilla created 1 of emblematic figures in european literature in don juan tenorio. other writers period gustavo adolfo bécquer, josé de espronceda, rosalía de castro or mariano josé de larra.

in realism find names such benito pérez galdós, emilia pardo bazán, leopoldo alas (clarín), concepción arenal, vicente blasco ibáñez , menéndez pelayo. realism offered depictions of contemporary life , society . in spirit of general realism , realist authors opted depictions of everyday , banal activities , experiences, instead of romanticised or stylised presentations.

the group has become known generation of 1898 marked destruction of spain s fleet in cuba gunboats in 1898, provoked cultural crisis in spain. disaster of 1898 led established writers seek practical political, economic, , social solutions in essays grouped under literary heading of regeneracionismo. group of younger writers, among them miguel de unamuno, pío baroja, , josé martínez ruiz (azorín), disaster , cultural repercussions inspired deeper, more radical literary shift affected both form , content. these writers, along ramón del valle-inclán, antonio machado, ramiro de maeztu, , Ángel ganivet, came known generation of 98.

the generation of 1914 or novecentismo. next supposed generation of spanish writers following of 98 calls question value of such terminology. year 1914—the year of outbreak of first world war , of publication of first major work of generation s leading voice, josé ortega y gasset—a number of younger writers had established own place within spanish cultural field.

leading voices include poet juan ramón jiménez, academics , essayists ramón menéndez pidal, gregorio marañón, manuel azaña, maria zambrano, eugeni d ors, clara campoamor , ortega y gasset, , novelists gabriel miró, ramón pérez de ayala, , ramón gómez de la serna. while still driven national , existential questions obsessed writers of 98, approached these topics greater sense of distance , objectivity. salvador de madariaga, prominent intellectual , writer, 1 of founders of college of europe , composer of constitutive manifest of liberal international.

the generation of 1927, poets pedro salinas, jorge guillén, federico garcía lorca, vicente aleixandre, dámaso alonso. scholars of national literary heritage, again evidence of impact of calls of regeneracionistas , generation of 1898 spanish intelligence turn @ least partially inwards.

miguel delibes describes situation of rural spain after rural flight in 1950s.

the 2 main writers in second half of 20th century nobel prize in literature laureate camilo josé cela , miguel delibes generation of 36. spain 1 of countries number of laureates nobel prize in literature, , latin american laureates made spanish language literature 1 of laureates of all. spanish writers are: josé echegaray, jacinto benavente, juan ramón jiménez, vicente aleixandre , camilo josé cela. portuguese writer josé saramago, awarded prize, lived many years in spain , spoke both portuguese , spanish. saramago known iberist ideas.

the generation of 50 known children of civil war. rosa chacel, gloria fuertes, jaime gil de biedma, juan goytisolo, carmen martín gaite, ana maría matute, juan marsé, blas de otero, gabriel celaya, antonio gamoneda, rafael sánchez ferlosio or ignacio aldecoa.

art


las meninas (1656), diego velázquez, museo del prado

artists spain have been highly influential in development of various european , american artistic movements. due historical, geographical , generational diversity, spanish art has known great number of influences. mediterranean heritage greco-roman , moorish , influences in spain, in andalusia still evident today. european influences include italy, germany , france, during renaissance spanish baroque , neoclassical periods. there many other autochthonous styles such pre-romanesque art , architecture, herrerian architecture or isabelline gothic.

during golden age find painters such el greco, josé de ribera, bartolomé esteban murillo , francisco zurbarán. inside baroque period diego velázquez created of famous spanish portraits, las meninas or las hilanderas.

francisco goya painted during historical period includes spanish independence war, fights between liberals , absolutists, , raise of contemporary state-nations.

joaquín sorolla well-known impressionist painter , there many important spanish painters belonging modernism art movement, including pablo picasso, salvador dalí, juan gris , joan miró.

sculpture

the comb of wind of eduardo chillida in san sebastián

the plateresque style extended beginnings of 16th century until last third of century , stylistic influence pervaded works of great spanish artists of time. alonso berruguete (valladolid school) called prince of spanish sculpture . main works upper stalls of choir of cathedral of toledo, tomb of cardinal tavera in same cathedral, , altarpiece of visitation in church of santa Úrsula in same locality. other notable sculptors bartolomé ordóñez, diego de siloé, juan de juni , damián forment.

there 2 schools of special flair , talent: seville school, juan martínez montañés belonged, celebrated works crucifix in cathedral of seville, in vergara, , saint john; , granada school, alonso cano belonged, whom immaculate conception , virgin of rosary, attributed.

other notable andalusian baroque sculptors pedro de mena, pedro roldán , daughter luisa roldán, juan de mesa , pedro duque cornejo. in 20th century important spanish sculptors julio gonzález, pablo gargallo, eduardo chillida , pablo serrano.

cinema


pedro almodóvar , penélope cruz in oviedo (princess of asturias awards)

spanish cinema has achieved major international success including oscars recent films such pan s labyrinth , volver. in long history of spanish cinema, great filmmaker luis buñuel first achieve world recognition, followed pedro almodóvar in 1980s (la movida madrileña). mario camus , pilar miró worked in curro jiménez.

spanish cinema has seen international success on years films directors segundo de chomón, florián rey, luis garcía berlanga, carlos saura, julio medem, isabel coixet, alejandro amenábar, icíar bollaín , brothers david trueba , fernando trueba.

actresses sara montiel , penélope cruz or actor antonio banderas among have become hollywood stars.

architecture

due historical , geographical diversity, spanish architecture has drawn host of influences. important provincial city founded romans , extensive roman era infrastructure, córdoba became cultural capital, including fine arabic style architecture, during time of islamic umayyad dynasty. later arab style architecture continued developed under successive islamic dynasties, ending nasrid, built famed palace complex in granada.

simultaneously, christian kingdoms gradually emerged , developed own styles; developing pre-romanesque style when while isolated contemporary mainstream european architectural influences during earlier middle ages, later integrated romanesque , gothic streams. there extraordinary flowering of gothic style resulted in numerous instances being built throughout entire territory. mudéjar style, 12th 17th centuries, developed introducing arab style motifs, patterns , elements european architecture.

the arrival of modernism in academic arena produced of architecture of 20th century. influential style centred in barcelona, known modernisme, produced number of important architects, of gaudí one. international style led groups gatepac. spain experiencing revolution in contemporary architecture , spanish architects rafael moneo, santiago calatrava, ricardo bofill many others have gained worldwide renown.

music , dance


flamenco andalusian artistic form evolved seguidilla.

spanish music considered abroad synonymous flamenco, west andalusian musical genre, which, contrary popular belief, not widespread outside region. various regional styles of folk music abound in aragon, catalonia, valencia, castile, basque country, galicia, cantabria , asturias. pop, rock, hip hop , heavy metal popular.

in field of classical music, spain has produced number of noted composers such isaac albéniz, manuel de falla , enrique granados , singers , performers such plácido domingo, josé carreras, montserrat caballé, alicia de larrocha, alfredo kraus, pablo casals, ricardo viñes, josé iturbi, pablo de sarasate, jordi savall , teresa berganza. in spain there on forty professional orchestras, including orquestra simfònica de barcelona, orquesta nacional de españa , orquesta sinfónica de madrid. major opera houses include teatro real, gran teatre del liceu, teatro arriaga , el palau de les arts reina sofía.

thousands of music fans travel spain each year internationally recognised summer music festivals sónar features top , coming pop , techno acts, , benicàssim tends feature alternative rock , dance acts. both festivals mark spain international music presence , reflect tastes of young people in country.

the popular traditional musical instrument, guitar, originated in spain. typical of north traditional bag pipers or gaiteros, in asturias , galicia.

cuisine


paella, traditional valencian dish

spanish cuisine consists of great variety of dishes stem differences in geography, culture , climate. heavily influenced seafood available waters surround country, , reflects country s deep mediterranean roots. spain s extensive history many cultural influences has led unique cuisine. in particular, 3 main divisions identified:

mediterranean spain – such coastal regions, catalonia andalusia – heavy use of seafood, such pescaíto frito (fried fish); several cold soups gazpacho; , many rice-based dishes paella valencia , arròs negre (black rice) catalonia.

inner spain – castile – hot, thick soups such bread , garlic-based castilian soup, along substantious stews such cocido madrileño. food traditionally conserved salting, spanish ham, or immersed in olive oil, manchego cheese.

atlantic spain – whole northern coast, including asturian, basque, cantabrian , galician cuisine – vegetable , fish-based stews caldo gallego , marmitako. also, lightly cured lacón ham. best known cuisine of northern countries rely on ocean seafood, basque-style cod, albacore or anchovy or galician octopus-based polbo á feira , shellfish dishes.

sport


football popular sport in spain

while varieties of football had been played in spain far roman times, sport in spain has been dominated english style association football since 20th century. real madrid c.f. , fc barcelona 2 of successful football clubs in world. country s national football team won uefa european football championship in 1964, 2008 , 2012 , fifa world cup in 2010, , first team ever win 3 back-to-back major international tournaments.

basketball, tennis, cycling, handball, futsal, motorcycling and, lately, formula 1 important due presence of spanish champions in these disciplines. today, spain major world sports powerhouse, since 1992 summer olympics hosted in barcelona, stimulated great deal of interest in sports in country. tourism industry has led improvement in sports infrastructure, water sports, golf , skiing.

rafael nadal leading spanish tennis player , has won several grand slam titles including wimbledon 2010 men s singles. in north spain, game of pelota popular. alberto contador leading spanish cyclist , has won several grand tour titles including 2 tour de france titles.

public holidays , festivals


san fermín festival, pamplona

public holidays celebrated in spain include mix of religious (roman catholic), national , regional observances. each municipality allowed declare maximum of 14 public holidays per year; 9 of these chosen national government , @ least 2 chosen locally. spain s national day (fiesta nacional de españa) 12 october, anniversary of discovery of america , commemorate our lady of pillar feast, patroness of aragon , throughout spain.

there many festivals , festivities in spain. of them known worldwide, , every year millions of people on world go spain experience 1 of these festivals. 1 of famous san fermín, in pamplona. while famous event encierro, or running of bulls, happens @ 8:00 am 7 14 july, week-long celebration involves many other traditional , folkloric events. events central plot of sun rises, ernest hemingway, brought general attention of english-speaking people. result, has become 1 of internationally renowned fiestas in spain, on 1,000,000 people attending every year.

other festivals include carnivals in canary islands, falles in valencia or holy week in andalusia , castile , león.