Saturday, December 22, 2012

Intramuros, Manila - Philippines' Historical city

 
Fort Santiago Gate
Intramuros, Manila, Philippines

INTRAMUROS, Manila - My idea was to have nice-looking, fascinating and historical structures as background on our pre-nuptial pictorial so pictures would look like they were taken from Europe. Intramuros, Manila's oldest district, was the perfect place that is within the metro. The place is a Spanish-style walled city with plenty of nice architectures that I are truly appreciate. Thanks to these Spanish-era structures that are still standing the test of time, we were able to take great-looking photos for our wedding.

According to wikipedia.org, Intramuros is the oldest district and historic core of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Known as the Walled City, the original fortified city of Manila was the seat of the Spanish government during the Spanish colonial period. The walled part of Manila was called intramuros, which is Latin for "within the walls"; districts beyond the walls were referred as the extramuros of Manila, meaning "outside the walls".

Guardia Civil inside Intramuros
Construction of the defensive walls was started by the Spaniards in the late 16th century to protect the city from foreign invasions. The 0.67-square-kilometre (0.26 sq mi) walled city was originally located along the shores of the Manila Bay, south of the entrance to Pasig River. The reclamations during the early 20th-century obscured the walls from the bay. Guarding the old city is Fort Santiago, its citadel located at the mouth of the river.

Intramuros was heavily damaged during the battle to recapture the city from the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. Reconstruction of the walls was started in 1951 when Intramuros was declared a National Historical Monument, which is continued to this day by the Intramuros Administration. I hope the government would give enough attention in preserving historical places like Intramuros.

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