Salamanca

Situated 213kms ( 131) miles from Madrid in the western central region of Spain in Castile y Leon, Salamanca has been an important city for over 2000 years. The 'Old City' was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988 by UNESCO.

Salamanca is famous both for its monumental sights and the University of Salamanca, which was founded in 1218 and is the oldest university in Spain and the fifth oldest western university. With its 30,000 students, the university is, together with tourism, the economic heart of the city. Salamanca is also known for the teaching of the Spanish language and in this field, Salamanca attracts thousands of foreign students every year.

One of the most beautiful and interesting places in Spain partly due to the

ancient buildings being constructed of local honey coloured sandstone.

Salamanca, Casa de las Conchas. Style late Gothic combined with the new Plateresque Renaissance. Construction began in1493 and completed in 1517.

Why not enjoy a peaceful day strolling around the cobbled streets of the historic quarter and visiting the university and the city’s two cathedrals with their characteristic golden stone. Try out the secrets of the many beautiful historic buildings. A truly enchanting day out in Spain.

HISTORIC QUARTER. THE CENTRE OF LIFE

Visit the Plaza Mayor, one of the most beautiful squares in the whole of Europe. The tourist office is situated here.

The area has numerous cafes and bars and also great photo opportunities under 88 porticoed arches in the square; the square is decorated with carved medallions of famous Spanish people like the writer Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. The Café Novelty is hundred-year-old, with the sculpture of the writer Torrente Ballester in its interior.

We continue our visit through the Plaza del Corrillo square (there are a series of small stalls here where we can buy gifts and souvenirs) and then go down the Rúa Mayor until we reach the Casa de las Conchas (the House of Shells). We’re bound to be captivated by this original building decorated with thousands of shells which were used as a token of the marriage between two members of the nobility. According to legend there is a treasure hidden under one of them, so it’s worth looking very closely.

Behind the Casa de las Conchas, in the Calle de la Compañía, we can see the towers of the Clerecía church and the Pontificia University. We’re now walking along one of the streets with the most historic buildings in the city, and it feels as though we’ve travelled back in time to past centuries, to a period of splendid palaces. If we continue down this street, we come to the Monterrey Palace, the Úrsulas Convent or the College of Archbishop Fonseca. We then retrace our steps until we reach the beautiful Plaza de Anaya and its gardens, one of the most charming spots in Salamanca. This is a good place to take a seat and contemplate all the beautiful buildings around us: in front, we see the city’s imposing New Cathedral, and behind, the Anaya College. There’s a particularly special atmosphere in this area, which is full of tourists, students, passers-by… .

Tourist Offices
Location
Casa de las Conchas
Rúa Mayor, s/n
37008 Salamanca (Salamanca)
Contact details
Tel.: +34 923268571
oficinadeturismodesalamanca@jcyl.es

Location

Plaza Mayor 1 - 8ª
37002 Salamanca (Salamanca)
Contact details
Tel.: +34 923272408
patroturismo@yahoo.es

Location
Plaza Mayor, 14
37002 Salamanca (Salamanca)
Contact details
Tel.: +34 902302002/ +34 923 218342
Fax.: +34 923218342
informacion@turismodesalamanca.com

http://www.salamanca.es

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Salamanca Travel Guide

[Kindle Edition]
Offbeat Guides (Author)

Spain's Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca & León (Travel Adventures) [Kindle Edition]
Kelly Lipscomb (Author)
Product Description
This is the largest autonomous region in Spain, covering a full one-fifth of the country's territory, and is larger than some EU countries, including neighboring Portugal. The Spaniards born in this sweeping mosaic of tableland hemmed by mountains are credited with speaking the purest Castellano tongue. They gravitate toward the major cities of the region, Burgos,Valladolid, León and Salamanca, leaving vast tracts of land empty of all but shepherds and barley growers. They pray in two of the country's three greatest Gothic cathedrals in León and Burgos, study at one of the world's oldest and most influential universities in Salamanca, cast for five-pound trout in the Río Duero and excavate the remains of Europe's oldest inhabitants in the Sierra de Atapuerca. The stereotypes of Castilla y León paint but a small picture of this vast realm. Pilgrims have trudged along the main route of the Camino de Santiago since the ninth century, a period when Christian Spain was in the midst of consolidating its forces to drive the Moors from the peninsula. Burgos would serve as the capital of the crown during the early Reconquest and eventually would be joined with the separate kingdom of León in furthering the cause. This is a detailed guide to every aspect of this region for travelers - where to stay, what to do, the restaurants, entertainment, canoe trips, walks & hikes, nightlife and more. Includes a Spanish language vocabulary guide as well, plus extensive information about traveling to Spain in general. "A great new resource." -- Travel + Leisure. "The perfect companion for planning." -- Rutgers Magazine. "These useful travel guides are highly recommended..." -- Library Journal

Sharpe's Sword: Richard Sharpe and the Salamanca Campaign, June and July 1812 [Paperback]
Bernard Cornwell (Author)
Review
'The best thing to happen to military heroes since Hornblower' Daily Express
Product Description
The bitter rivalry between Sharpe and the ruthless Frenchman Colonel Leroux is brought to life against the vivid canvas of the Peninsular War. Richard Sharpe is once again at war. But this time his enemy is a single man -- the ruthless, sadistic Colonel Leroux. Sharpe's mission is to safeguard El Mirador, the spy whose network of agents is vital to the British victory. So Sharpe must enter a new world of political and military intrigue. And in the unfamiliar surroundings of aristocratic Spanish society, his only guide is the beautiful Marquesa -- a woman with her own secrets to conceal! The complete Sharpe collection