Toledo's Alcázar is an impressive building found at the highest point of the city. In the beginning, the Romans used it as a palace; the Christians reconstructed it, during the reign of King Alfonso VI; Alfonso X the Wise continued with the construction, which is the origin of the square floor plan and the battlement towers at its corners. Its facades differ according to period and style: the western facade is of Renaissance form, the eastern is medieval, the northern is Plateresque and the southern, erected by Juan of Herrera, is of Churrigueresque style; it also possesses a two-storey patio with Corinthian capitals. The Alcázar has been the victim of fires in several occasions (in 1170, a century later, in 1867 and in 1882). At the outbreak of the Civil War, the Military Academy was housed here and at the end of the conflict, it was completely destroyed. Later on it was completely reconstructed, and today it houses the army's offices and a museum.
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