Walls of Ávila

Walls of Ávila
Walls of Ávila
Muralla de Ávila
Ávila, Spain
	Ávila's defensive walls
Coordinates	40°39′23″N 4°42′0″W / 40.65639°N 4.70000°W
Type	Medieval fortification
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Muralla y Puertas
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Designated	1985 (9th session)
Part of	Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches
Reference no.	348bis-001
Region	Europe and North America
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Official name	Las Murallas de Ávila
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	24 March 1884
Reference no.	RI-51-0000036

The Walls of Ávila, completed between the 11th and 14th centuries, are the defensive walls of Ávila, Spain, and its principal historic feature. These medieval fortifications are the most complete and best preserved in all the country. The Old Town of Ávila, including the walls and its extramural churches, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Description

The work was started in 1090 but most of the defensive wall appears to have been rebuilt in the 12th century. The enclosed area is an irregular rectangle of 31 hectares (77 acres) with a perimeter of some 2,516 metres (8,255 ft), including 88 semicircular towers. The walls have an average width of 3 metres (9.8 ft) and an average height of 12 metres (39 ft). The nine gates were completed over several different periods. The Puerta de San Vicente (Gate of St Vincent) and the Puerta del Alcazar (Gate of the Fortress) are flanked by twin towers, 20 metres (66 ft) high, linked by a semicircular arch. The apse of the cathedral also forms one of the towers.

It is possible to walk upon the walls for roughly half the circumference. Whilst some of the walls will never be navigable in this way because of their integration into other structures, there is a large stretch of the walls that has yet to be made safe for pedestrians.

The site was registered as a National Monument in 1884.^[1] In 1985, the old city of Ávila and its extramural churches were declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.^[2]