Shopping in Toledo

Location
Toledo, Spain

Shopping

By Christopher Minster

Shopping is great fun in Toledo, especially if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings. Toledo got a reputation back in the middle ages as a good place to get armor, swords and other weapons. Toledan weapons were considered the best in Spain and among the finest in Europe. Individual smiths worked their forges while a guild regulated quality. Many of the conquistadores who went to the Americas to fight in Mexico and Peru brought Toledan weapons and armor with them.

By the mid eighteenth century, demand for traditional edged weapons was in decline, so much so that the Spanish feared the loss of this traditional art. In 1761, the king established the Royal Sword factory in Toledo, employing many of the best blacksmiths. This factory survived the Napoleonic occupation, the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime, only to close in the late 1970’s. Weapons from the royal factory are now collector’s pieces.

The Spanish needn’t have worried about the art dying out, however: there are more stores than ever in Toledo selling a wide array of weapons and armor for you to get all medieval on anyone you choose. Swords, battleaxes, morning stars, crossbows, scimitars, daggers, war hammers, you name it. Browsing these weapons is a fascinating experience even if you don’t decide to purchase anything. Officially licensed replicas of weapons from the Lord of the Rings and other movies are even available!

Once you’re done checking out the heavy metal, it’s time to check out the other things that the stores in Toledo have to offer. The other craft that Toledo is really famous for is the finely made gold jewellery boxes, plates and jewellery. They’re in the same stores as the swords, so they’re impossible to miss.

Getting There: There are souvenir shops all over the city.