i Dominican Republic - travelfilm.de

the Atarazanas (shipyards). The narrow
streets that barely separate them from
the Alcázar de Colón, the admiralty,
offer visitors a unique opportunity of
recalling an era whose very history is
the cornerstone of the heritage of all
Americans.
Through its jealously guarded rustic
windows, an apparition of a damsel
slowly forms albeit an imaginary being.
She is clad in the fashion of the age,
part of her face is covered with blush as
she receives, fan in hand, the illustrious
citizens who first established the first
Spanish court in the Americas.
Opposite the wall, reconstructed in
the 20th century, is the magnificent
16th-century monument. It is built entirely
of bricks and used to house the Casa de
Contratación (The Trading Post) and the
first customs and excise outpost of the
New World.
The Reales Atarazanas (Royal Shipyards)
constitute a grandiose complex,
unmatched in its kind in the Americas.
Their only nemesis is the Atarazanas
Reales de Barcelona, considered an
architectural jewel of the Catalan port.
The individual buildings of the
Atarazanas are connected through
interior courtyards, now home to art
galleries, gift shops, restaurants and the
offices of the cultural heritage association.
The museum of the viceroyalty is
also located here; and visitors can
see displays of primary documents
of historical importance bearing the
signatures of Catholic kings Ferdinand
and Isabella Past the tower is a beautiful
walkway contiguous to where Christopher
Dominican Republic
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