Culture and Art

The history of Spain has been a continuous mix of the different peoples, cultures, and civilisations that conquered the Iberian Peninsula over the centuries. These cultures left an incredibly valuable historic and artistic heritage that is a veritable legacy for humanity.

World Heritage Sites

Spain is the 3rd country in the world in terms of number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. With 45 World Heritage sites, it is only exceeded by Italy (49) and China (47).

They range from cave art to historic quarters, through natural areas, gardens, and monuments. Spain has more than 20,000 significant monuments.

These include the 15 cities and towns that are World Heritage Sites, which have preserved their original historic quarter and where real artistic and architectural gems of high value can be found.

These are Alcalá de Henares, Ávila, Baeza, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ibiza/Eivissa, Mérida, Salamanca, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona, Toledo, and Úbeda.

More information: http://www.ciudadespatrimonio.org/

Spain also has 11 festivals and cultural events recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. These include flamenco, the Mediterranean diet, and the Valencian fallas. These are all elements that define our cultural identity.

Museums

Spanish art is one of the largest cultural heritages in the world.

Spain has more than 1,500 museums, which exhibit works from every age and in every art style. From Velázquez, Goya, Tintoretto, Rembrandt and El Greco, through Monet, Van Gogh and Kandinsky, to Miró, Dalí, Picasso, Chillida, Barceló, and Tapies.

Most of these museums are located in historic buildings of great architectural value, as well as in avant-garde buildings. Many of them allow private tours and events.

As a result of our historic past as a Catholic country, gems of religious architecture can be found across Spain. These include the great Cathedrals in Burgos, Toledo, Córdoba, Seville, Santiago de Compostela, León, and Barcelona (among many others).

They also include real landscaping gems, in botanic gardens and historic gardens. Many of them house monuments, works of art, and cultural centres.

Spain in film

Spain has a significant film industry which has earned many international awards. Film directors like Pedro Almodóvar and Alejandro Amenábar have given an international reputation to Spanish films.

Many Hollywood productions (like 007, Die Another Day, Bourne’s Ultimatum, and Fast & Furious 6), leading international series (like Game of Thrones), and even Indian films (like You won’t get this life again), which earned many awards and had an audience of more than 400 million viewers.

Cultural activities for corporate events

The various Spanish destinations provide an extensive and rich cultural offering, which can perfectly fit the social programme of any meeting or event.

  • Private use of museums outside business hours, for guided visits, cocktails, or gala diners.
  • Attending a tablao to watch a flamenco show or receive personalised flamenco group lessons.
  • Art lessons to learn more about the various art movements.
  • Theatre festivals – including those held in Mérida, Sagunto, and Almagro.
  • Film festivals – including the San Sebastián and Valladolid festivals.
  • Ballet and contemporary dance shows.
  • Musicals – on an ongoing basis in Madrid and Barcelona.
  • Live music – all cities have a wide range of live music venues.