The Intramuros district, which can be translated from Spanish as “within the walls,” is the oldest district of Manila, the capital of the island nation of the Philippines. Today, its territory of 0.67 square kilometres is home to about 5,000 people. А the number of tourists far exceeds this figure, for Intramuros is one of the the main attractions of Manila and a major architectural monument of the times of the of the Spanish conquest.
In 1571, on the banks of the Pasig River at its confluence with Manila Bay, the Spanish conquistador Lopez de Lopez de León. Spanish conquistador López de Legazpi established a fortress to protect Spanish-speaking families military and administration from attacks by Chinese pirates. It was this fortress, surrounded by a wide moat, gave rise to the city of Manila - until the 19th century. "Manila" and "Intramuros" were synonymous. It wasn't until the 19th or early 20th century that Manila "stepped over" the walls of the fortress, making it just a part of the city.
For many decades, Spanish-speaking families and servants from the local population lived inside the fortress. But as life took its toll. mixed families were created as the Christianisation of the indigenous Filipinos of the indigenous people of the Philippines. In 1590, on the site of the wooden fort of Intramuros, a stone one was built, and in the 17-18 centuries a whole complex of structures was built to protect its inhabitants from the Chinese and Malays. Unfortunately, during the Second World War II, many Spanish colonial architectural monuments were destroyed as a result of bombing raids.
Nevertheless, even today you can still see interesting buildings inside Intramuros, that date back centuries. The fortress itself is located just south of the Pasig River. Interestingly, there used to be a bamboo fortress of Raja Suleiman-Maniyil, who ruled the area in the 14th century. In the north-western part is Fort Santiago, the oldest fortification of the Spanish. This fort was once was once a prison for Filipino pirates who fought for their country's independence. Opposite it stands the Manila Cathedral, built in the in the Romanesque style. And at the very gates of the fortress stands the San Agustin Cathedral, the oldest and one of the most beautiful buildings in Manila. Scattered throughout the neighbourhood numerous art galleries, museums, restaurants and even a small oceanarium. The ancient ditches that once surrounded Intramuros have been drained and turned into golf courses, now popular with locals and tourists.
