Toledo is a city in Spain of 59,000 people, and an important tourist attraction and historical site. It predates the Roman invasion of Spain - the Romans wrote of a "very well-defended city" upon a mountain. Toledo is protected also by the Tagus River; one bridge across is the Puente de Alcantara which was originally built by the Romans. Little else is known about the Roman occupation of Toledo.
The Visigoths expelled the Romans after the empire collapsed in the fifth century CE and ruled only briefly; they brought Christianity into the country. However, Christian rule ended in 711 with the Moorish invasion. The Moors were fairly tolerant of Christians, allowing them to live freely in their cities (the later Christian rulers of Spain did not reciprocate). Much of Toledo retains a Muslim feel, with narrow, winding streets and such features as an Alcázar, or Moorish fortress.
Most of Toledo's architecture still bears obvious Muslim heritage; it is almost completely built in the Mudéjar style of the Spanish Muslims after the Reconquista. Before the Muslims were forcibly expelled (along with the Jews) in 1492, they built almost all of Toledo. The aforementioned Jews played an integral role in the society of Toledo as well; they were prominent merchants, money-lenders, and intellectuals. They were allowed to practice their religion openly under Muslim rule but not tolerated by the Catholics, leading to their expulsion. Toledo still retains a synagogue, Santa Maria la Blanca, dating back to the eleventh century. It was also built in the Mudéjar style. It was later turned into a church, as were most of Spain's synagogues.
The center of the city features a Gothic cathedral, built on the site of a former mosque. It is considered one of the finest in the world, and modeled after the French style. In the Gothic style, it features lots of light, which shines in through Gothic arches supported by flying buttresses.
Toledo was an extremely important city in Europe - until 1560, it was Spain's capital, and this was during the period when Spain was a major world power. In 1560, however, the capital was moved 60 miles north, to Magerit, now known as Madrid, because Toledo's highly defensible location stopped its growth. After that, Toledo faded somewhat in political importance, which allowed it to retain many of its old buildings.
Today Toledo is primarily a tourist attraction - expect to see throngs of foreigners on every corner, and shops every half-block selling the intricate gold- and silverwork that Toledo is famous for, along with daggers and swords. It is a very pretty town, but it has little to offer that couldn't be seen in a day trip from Madrid, and its reachable in an hour by train or bus.