Intramuros (Spanish Intramuros “within the walls”, “walled”, “enclosed”) is the oldest district of the modern city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. The area is 0.67 km². Population – 5015 people, population density – 7485.1 people / km² (19 386.3 people / m²). It has a high cultural and historical value as an ancient Spanish architectural monument of the island of Luzon. The most popular tourist attraction in the Philippines.

Location
Intramuros was founded by the Spaniards in the east of Luzon, at the confluence of the Pasig River into the Manila Bay of the South China Sea to protect the Hispanic families of the military and the administration from the attacks of Chinese pirates. The place for the founding of the city was chosen on June 24, 1571 by the Spanish conquistador López de Legazpi, becoming the core of the city of Manila. For a long time, Manila and Intramuros were synonymous, but the rapid growth of the city occurred in the XIX-XX centuries.

History
In 1574, the Spanish settlement acquired a wooden, and later (in 1590) a stone fort. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, the Spaniards erected a whole complex of structures that protected the city from both the Chinese and Malay Muslims and their proselytes in the Philippines. The Spaniards, who had just completed the Reconquista process in their country, fiercely resisted the Islamization of the Philippines, which was gradually carried out from the south. For a long time, predominantly Hispanic families lived within the walls of Intramuros, but also a significant contingent of servants of autochthonous origin. Metisation, Christianization and Hispanization were gaining momentum in the city. The city became the center of the spread of Catholicism, and with it the Spanish language in Asia. The number of families of mixed origin gradually increased. During the Second World War, it was destroyed, but was then restored. Its modern population is about 5 thousand people (mostly Filipinos, a small number of mestizos).

Cultural and historical significance
Most of the sights of Manila are located in Intramuros, since the intensive growth of the city began relatively recently and it was Intramuros that was the main artery of the city for centuries. The ancient Spanish fortress is located south of the river Passig (Pasig). Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the site of the fort was a rajah’s fortress built of bamboo. Suleiman – Maniyla, who ruled here in the XIV century during the reign of Islam in the Philippines. After the destruction of its buildings, numerous monuments of Spanish colonial architecture of the 16th-18th centuries were erected here. In 1898, control of the Philippines passes to the United States, who defeated Spain during the colonial conflict. Intramuros did not suffer significant damage this time. However, most of the Spanish buildings were destroyed by heavy bombing during World War II, during the clashes between Japan and the United States. Most of the city’s Hispanic elite died or emigrated. Spanish in the Philippines quickly fell into disuse.

In the northwestern part of Intramuros, the oldest fortification of the Spanish colony, Fort Santiago, is still preserved. Opposite is the Manila Cathedral. It is built in the Romanesque style with Filipino adobe bricks. Manila Cathedral is a Catholic church miraculously preserved during the bombing. Intramuros was partially restored in the post-war years. It is of great value as a historical landmark that attracts numerous tourists. Now, in the thickness of the fortress walls of the XVI century, there are a large number of art galleries, museums, restaurants and an aquarium.

Infrastructure
For a long time, Manila largely consisted of the fortress of Intramuros. Malay and Chinese merchants, a small number of mestizos, and local Filipino peasants lived outside the fortress walls. Gradually, the settlement grew and now Intramuros is only a small historical part of the Manila agglomeration. The walls encircling the city reached 3 km in length along the perimeter, 13 m in thickness and 6 m in height. Made of bricks, they have traces of damage from bombings and earthquakes. Seven main drawbridges across the moat surrounding the fortress (once filled with water, but now dry) once provided access to the city, providing additional protection. Now, on the site of the moat, there are golf courses. In the old part of the city, there are a total of 15 churches, 6 monasteries, a university, schools, numerous offices, a hospital, and a publishing house. The best time to walk around Intramuros is early in the morning, before the heat of the day sets in.