Patrimonio local, turismo e identidad nacional en una ciudad de provincias : Toledo a principios del siglo XX

Promoting tourism appears to be a very neutral way to improve the local economy and by the way encourage the national consciousness. In Toledo, however, the local contribution to the patrimony of the nation was bitterly disputed at the beginning of the twentieth century. Many local conservatives defended the right of the Church to sell masterpieces of El Greco and even opposed the commemoration of El Greco in 1914. Local Liberals and Republicans, on the other hand, saw his altar pieces as an inalienable part of the city’s patrimony. The same occurred with the medieval heritage of Toledo as a city of three cultures. The Catholic press wanted to replace the old Jewish quarter with modern and hygienic houses, while the left proposed that the entire city would become a national monument. In this paper the development and consequences of these debates for Toledo’s artistic heritage, local and national identity, and tourism will be analysed.