Toledo, Spain: Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca

This is an interesting building, one that carries with it a great deal of history. We'll get to a little of that in a moment, but the story starts with one fact. This is the oldest building in Europe that was once a synagogue. That makes this worth a stop.

It was built as a synagogue in the late 1100s or early 1200s or. so. It stayed that way for about two hundred years, when it became a Catholic church. The Massacre of 1391 was an outbreak of lethal violence against the Jews of Spain - one of the worst ever. Eventually the facility found some other uses - military barracks, warehouse and dance hall. In 1856 the place became a historic landmark, and it is a tourist attraction and museum today. 

There's not much to see once inside, as there are no relics that aren't part of structure of the building. Nevertheless, it's quite interesting to contemplate the building's past while spending a few minutes inside.