Google ‘Street View’ of Spain’s historic sites

EVER wanted to see the outstanding Moorish architecture of Granada’s Alhambra Palace, the distinctive Gaudi-designed La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the ancient Roman Tower of Hercules lighthouse in Galicia, or the famous Las Medulas in Leon?

Now – thanks to Google’s Street View service – you can visit 50 of Spain’s most iconic, important, historical and architectural wonders, all from the comfort of your own home. Normally reserved for, literally, viewing streets on your computer, Google’s Street View has taken to some of Spain’s most beautiful spots – several of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites – in order to give armchair travellers a taste of the real thing and the chance to forward plan any site visits they might like to make when in Spain.

According to Spanish daily 20 Minutos, the images were captured using a 360-degree camera on top of a backpack, meaning the camera operator could capture images inside buildings that are only accessible on foot. The traditional Street View method records images from a camera affixed to a car rooftop.

UNESCO product manager for special collections, Magdalena Flak, said that the sites were chosen due to their importance to Spain. “We wanted to work in these areas because they are searched for not only by Spaniards, but on an international level,” she said.

Google has announced further plans to add many more Spanish sites to their Street View service.