Salamanca

Salamanca
View of Salamanca
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Salamanca in Spain
Coordinates: 40°58′N 5°40′W / 40.967°N 5.667°W / 40.967; -5.667
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Castile and León
Province	Salamanca
Government
• Mayor	Alfonso Fernando Fernández Mañueco (Partido Popular)
Area
• Total	38.6 km2 (14.9 sq mi)
Elevation	802 m (2,631 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	metropolitan:213,399 city:154,462
• Density	4,034/km2 (10,450/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	34 (Spain) + 923 (Salamanca)
Website	www.salamanca.es

Salamanca (Spanish pronunciation: [salaˈmaŋka]) is a city in northwestern Spain, the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the community of Castile and León. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. With a metropolitan population of 228,881 in 2012 according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Salamanca is the second most populated urban area in Castile and León, after Valladolid (414,000), and ahead of Leon (187,000) and Burgos (176,000).

It is one of the most important university cities in Spain and supplies 16% of Spain's market for the teaching of the Spanish language.^[1][2] Salamanca attracts thousands of international students,^[3] generating a diverse environment.

It is situated approximately 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the Spanish capital Madrid and 80 km (50 mi) east of the Portuguese border. The University of Salamanca, which was founded in 1134, is the oldest university in Spain and the fourth oldest western university, but the first to be given its status by the Pope Alexander IV who gave universal validity to its degrees. With its 30,000 students, the university is, together with tourism, a primary source of income in Salamanca.

History

The city was founded in the pre-Ancient Rome period by the Vacceos, a Celtic tribe, as one of a pair of forts to defend their territory near the Duero river. In the 3rd century BC, Beto laid siege to the city. With the fall of the Carthaginians to the Romans, the city of Helmantica, as it was known, began to take more importance as a commercial hub in the Roman Hispania due to its favorable location. Salamanca lay on a Roman road, known as the Vía de la Plata, which connected it with Emerita Augusta (present day Mérida) to the south and Asturica Augusta (present-day Astorga) to the north. Its Roman bridge dates from the 1st century, and was a part of this road.

With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Alans established in Lusitania, and Salamanca was part of this region. Later the city was conquered by the Visigoths and included in their territory. The city was already an episcopal see, and signatures of bishops of Salamanca are found in the Councils of Toledo.

Salamanca surrendered to the Moors, led by Musa bin Nusair, in the year 712 AD. For years this area between the south of Duero River and the north of Tormes River, became the main battlefield between the Christian kingdoms and the Muslim Al-Andalus rulers. The constant fighting of the Kingdom of León first, and the Kingdom of Castile and León later against the Caliphate depopulated Salamanca and reduced it to an unimportant settlement. After the battle of Simancas (939) the Christians resettled this area. After the capture of Toledo by Alfonso VI of León and Castile in 1085, the definitive resettlement of the city took place. Raymond of Burgundy, instructed by his father-in-law Alfonso VI of León, led a group of settlers of various origins in 1102.

One of the most important moments in Salamanca's history was the year 1218, when Alfonso IX of León granted a royal charter to the University of Salamanca, although formal teaching had existed at least since 1130. Soon it became one of the most significant and prestigious academic centres in Europe.

During the 16th century the city reached its height of splendor (around 6,500 students and a total population of 24,000). During that period the University of Salamanca hosted the most important intellectuals of the time; these groups of mostly-Dominican scholars were designated the School of Salamanca. The juridical doctrine of the School of Salamanca represented the end of medieval concepts of law, and founded the fundamental body of the ulterior European law and morality concepts, including rights as a corporeal being (right to life), economic rights (right to own property) and spiritual rights (rights to freedom of thought and rights related to intrinsic human dignity).

In 1551 the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ordered an inquiry to find out if the science of Andreas Vesalius, physician and anatomist, was in line with Catholic doctrine. Vesalius came to Salamanca that same year to appear before the board and was acquitted.

Salamanca suffered the general downturns of the Kingdom of Castile during the 17th century, but in the 18th century it experienced a rebirth. In this period the new baroque Cathedral and main square (Plaza Mayor) were finished.

In the Peninsular War of the Napoleonic campaigns, the Battle of Salamanca, fought on July 22, 1812, was a serious setback for the French, and a mighty setback for Salamanca, whose western quarter was seriously damaged. The battle which raged that day is famous as a defining moment in military history; many thousands of men were slaughtered by cannon fire in the space of only a few short hours.

During the devastating Spanish Civil War (1936–39) the city quickly went over to the Nationalist side and was used as the de facto capital. Franco was named Generalissimo on 21 September 1937 while at the city, and in the same year was formed, by a decree signed in the city, the official fascist party that ruled Spain until the end of the Francoist regime, officially suppressing any other political party. The Nationalists soon moved most of the administrative departments to Burgos, which being more central was better suited for this purpose. However, some administrative departments, Franco's headquarters (located at the Palacio Episcopal, next to the Old Cathedral) and the military commands stayed in Salamanca, along with the German and Italian fascist delegations, making it the de facto Nationalist capital and centre of power during the entire civil war.^[4][5] Like much of fervently Catholic and largely rural Leon and Old Castile regions, Salamanca was a staunch supporter of the Nationalist side and Francisco Franco's regime for its long duration.

In 1988 the old city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1998 it was declared a European Capital of Culture for year 2002 (shared with Bruges). During 14 and 15 October 2005 it hosted the XV the Ibero-American Summits of Heads of State and Governments.

Since 1996 Salamanca has been the designated site of the archives of the Spanish Civil War (Archivo General de la Guerra Civil Española). The original documents were assembled by the Francoist regime, selectively obtained from the administrative departments of various institutions and organizations during the Spanish Civil War as a repressive instrument used against opposition groups and individuals.^[6] The socialist government moved the Catalan part of the archive to Barcelona in 2006 despite opposition from the local authorities and popular protests.

Main sights

The Old City of Salamanca was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

Name	Location
Old quarter of the city
Irish College	c/ Fonseca, 2
Iglesia de San Marcos	c/ Zamora - Plaza del Ejército
Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus	Sancti Spiritus, 34
Convento de las Claras	c/ de Santa Clara, 2 y 12; c/ del Lucero 2 y 18
Casa-Convento de Santa Teresa	c/ Crespo Rascón, 19
Iglesia de San Juan de Barbalos	Pl. San Juan Bautista, 2 - c/ Luis Sevillano, 2
Iglesia de San Cristobal	Plaza de San Cristobal, 8

Sightseeing in the city, many of them within the old quarter,^[7] are:

Squares and public spaces

• La Plaza Mayor: of Baroque style, designed by architects Alberto and Nicolás Churriguera is the most important of public spaces and the heart of the city.
• Campo de San Francisco (Salamanca): First public garden in the city on grounds of the former convent of San Francisco Real.
• Huerto de Calisto y Melibea (Salamanca): Garden near to the cathedrals where, some say, lies the plot of the novel La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas. Besides it are remains of the Roman Walls.
• Plaza del Corrillo (Salamanca): Small square adjacent to the Plaza Mayor. On the left is the Romanesque church of San Martín and the right a series of houses with porches formed by columns of stone completed in pads representing the days of the week (a moon for the Monday, a Mars for Tuesday, etc.).

Religious buildings

• Capilla de la Vera Cruz: Baroque church with Renaissance façade, headquarters of the five hundred-year-old Brotherhood of the Vera Cruz of Salamanca. It houses countless works of art.
• Cathedrals: Salamanca has two cathedrals, the Old Cathedral, of the 12th century and of Romanesque style, and the New Cathedral, much larger, built in the 16th century of Gothic style and completed in the 18th century. The place where they both join is known as Patio Chico and is one of the most charming corners of the city.
• La Clerecía: currently houses the Pontifical University. Building started in 1617 and was completed 150 years later as the Colegio Real del Espíritu Santo, of the Society of Jesus. The style is Baroque. It difference the school, with an interesting cloister and the church, with an impressive façade of three bodies, two twin towers of 50 meters high and a huge dome. The Clerecía name is because it belonged to the Real Clerecía de San Marcos after the expulsion of the Jesuits.
• Colegio de Calatrava: Built in the 18th century, by the initiative of the Order of Calatrava, now houses the Casa de la Iglesia.
• Convento de las Agustinas e Iglesia de la Purísima: In the church is a painting of the Immaculate Conception painted by Jusepe de Ribera. It is the only construction of totally Italian space and decor in Spain.
• Convento de las Dueñas (15th century): Highlights the irregular Renaissance cloister.
• Convento de las Isabeles (Salamanca)
• Convento de San Antonio el Real (1736): of Baroque style, its remains were divided between the Lyceum Theatre and a store where it can visit.
• Convento de San Esteban, of the Dominican friars (16th century): the plateresque façade, with its shape of an arc of triumph, is a jewel of the Salamancan Renaissance. Impressive Baroque altarpiece by José Benito Churriguera. Also noteworthy is the Cloister of the Kings, Renaissance.
• Convento de la Anunciación (Calle de las Úrsulas): Founded by the Archbishop Alonso II de Fonseca in 1512. Stresses the exterior apse of Gothic style. In the inside, the Baroque altarpiece and the tomb of the founder, Renaissance, work by Beto.
• Convento de la Trinidad: Former Palacio de Montellano adapted in the 16th century to host a Trinitarian friary.
• Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, of the monks of the Order of St. Jerome, completed in 1513, almost destroyed by the French in the early 19th century, the Peninsular War, is now integrated into the manufacturing facilities of the 19th century, of the Grupo Mirat.
• Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia (16th-17th centuries): small Baroque chapel which was begun in 1389 in the Plaza de San Cristobal. Currently very damaged, is a printing, while its bell-gable decorates the church of the Pizarrales neighborhood.
• Antigua Iglesia de las Bernardas work by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. Prototype of the Salamancan churches of the 16th century. Stresses the shell-shaped head. Today it is within the Colegio de San José de Calasanz.
• Iglesia del Carmen de Abajo: Chapel of the Third Order Carmelites, incorporated in the Friary of San Andrés. It is the only remnant of that friary, which disappeared in the 19th century.
• Iglesia de San Benito: Gothic church built under the patronage of Alonso II de Fonseca, pantheon of the Maldonado family.
• Iglesia de San Julián: Romanesque church subsequently restored.
• Iglesia de San Marcos: Romanesque church near the path which ran the North walls of the city. Outside circular plant has three naves and apses inside.
• Iglesia de San Martín: Romanesque church with Gothic reforms, Renaissance and Baroque, attached to the Plaza Mayor.
• Iglesia de San Pablo: Baroque church belonging to the former convent of the Trinitarians, houses the image of Jesus Rescued, much venerated in the city. Parish hosts, governed by the Diocesan Laborer Priests.
• Iglesia de Santo Tomás Cantuariense: Romanesque church founded in honor of St. Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1175, just five years after his death and two after his canonization. It has three apses and a nave with a wooden roof. Form Parish along with St. Paul, governed by the Diocesan Laborer Priests.

University buildings

• University: Set of buildings that made up the former University of Salamanca, including the Escuelas Mayores, the Escuelas Menores and the Hospital de Estudio (current rectorate). These buildings are situated around the square known as Patio de Escuelas. In this same square is the home of Dr. Álvarez Abarca or of the Doctors of the Queen (15th century), whose façade is Gothic with Renaissance details and is now the Museum of Salamanca.
• Casa-museo de Unamuno (18th century): former home of the rectors of the university. It preserved as in its time it had Miguel de Unamuno when he took this position.
• Colegio Mayor de Santiago el Zebedeo, also called "of the Archbishop Fonseca" or "of the Irish" (16th century).
• Colegio de San Ambrosio (1719): Is currently General Archive of the Spanish Civil War. Houses documents and items seized by the national troops and their allies during and at the end of the Spanish Civil War. While over the entire postwar its basic objective was to preserve the information related to organizations and peoples potentially opposing the Franco regime, and therefore use this information for repressive, since the return of democracy this building would become one of the most important archives that existed in Spain to investigate the historical period of the Second Republic. Many of the documents and objects that still remain in the archive are related to the Freemasonry, including several furniture that has been rebuilt a Masonic Lodge.
• Colegio Trilingüe: founded in 1554 to the teaching of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. It also preserves part of the original courtyard, remade in 1829, in the Faculty of Physics.
• Palacio de Anaya was the last headquarters of the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé or Colegio de Anaya founded in the 15th century by Don Diego de Anaya, abolished in the early 19th century. Today is the faculty of philology. Next to the building is the Iglesia of San Sebastian, former chapel of the college and the Inn, work by Joaquín de Churriguera.
• Colegio Santa Cruz de Cañizares (16th century): Music Conservatory. Of it only remains the old chapel, now incorporated into the assembly hall of the conservatory, and the main façade, of plateresque style.
• Colegio de San Pelayo: founded in the mid-16th century. Since 1990 home to the Faculty of Geography and History.

Palaces and palatial houses

• Casa de las Conchas: built in the late 15th century. of Gothic civil style, its façade is decorated with about 350 shells of scallops, distinctive of the Order of Santiago. Also important are the bars Gothic windows. It currently houses a public library.
• Casa de Don Diego Maldonado: 16th-century Plateresque palace. It houses the Hispanic-Brazilian Cultural Foundation and the Centre for Brazilian Studies at the University of Salamanca.
• Casa de Doña María la Brava: 15th-century Gothic building, prototype of the noble mansions of the time. Its owner, María Rodríguez de Monroy was the head of one of the two sides in that split the city in the 15th century. Beheaded the murderers of her children. It is located in the Plaza de los Bandos.
• Casa Lis: Art Nouveau palace of 1905 with iron façade. Built on the walls. It houses the Collections of Art Nouveau and Art Deco donated by Manuel Ramos Andrade.
• Casa de las Muertes (early 16th century), built by Juan de Álava and named such for the skulls that decorate the façade.
• Casa del Regidor Ovalle (18th century): The Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno died here.
• Casa de Santa Teresa (16th century): The saint Teresa of Ávila stayed here when she visited Salamanca in 1570 to found a convent and here she wrote the poem Vivo sin vivir en mí.
• Casa de la Tierra (15th century): doorway with arched, Gothic window tracery. Headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Salamanca.
• Casa de las Viejas (17th century): old workhouse for poor, now the headquarters of the Regional Film Archive of Castile and León. Permanent exhibition of equipment related to cinema and its history, owned by Salamancan filmmaker Basilio Martín Patino.
• Fonda Veracruz : courtyard with wooden galleries in form of dead-end street. Currently catering school.
• Arias Corvelle Palace (15th century): sgraffito façade very similar to that of San Boal. It houses the School of Fine and Performing Arts of San Eloy.
• Castellanos Palace (15th-16th centuries): The Palace of the Marquises of Castellanos construction began in the late 15th century, although the façade dates from the late 19th century which combines Gothic and Neoclassical styles. With a powerful Gothic interior courtyard, this building now serves as a hotel.
• Garci Grande Palace (16th century): Renaissance doorway and chamfered corner windows unique in the city. Head Office of the Savings Bank (Caja Duero).
• Monterrey Palace: was built in the 16th century and is of plateresque style. Belongs to the House of Alba and highlight its towers and chimneys. Only it built one of the four parts that composed all designed initially.
• Orellana Palace (16th century): building of classical architecture with Mannerist influence. The courtyard in L shape and the ladder.
• Rodríguez de Figueroa Palace (1545): has interesting façades at the streets Concejo and Zamora and interior courtyard. Today the Salamanca Casino.
• La Salina Palace (1546): Renaissance, work by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. Since 1884 is the headquarters of the Provincial Diputation.
• San Boal Palace (15th century): façade decorated with sgraffitos. Was School of Commerce and later Faculty of Business. Since 1999 is Hispanic-Japanese Cultural Center of the University of Salamanca. In the same square is the Iglesia de San Boal (17th century).
• Solís Palace (15th century): In this palace were married Philip II of Spain and Maria Manuela of Portugal in 1543. Today it houses the Telefónica.
• Tower del Aire: is all that remains of the Palace of the dukes of Fermoselle, built in the 15th century. It has beautiful Gothic windows. It is currently a student residence.
• Tower del Clavero (15th century): remains of a palace, apparently built by Francisco de Sotomayor, Clavero Staff of the Order of Alcántara, about 1470 . The lower part is quadrangular, while the upper is octagonal adorned with eight cylindrical turrets.
• Torreón de los Anaya (15th century): old manor house of Gothic civil style which highlights the mullioned window and the Patio de Tres Lados. For years it was the seat of Institute of Studies of Latin America and Portugal of the University of Salamanca, also known as Palacio de Abrantes.

Museums

• Casa Lis Art Nouveau and Art Deco Museum. The museum displays collections of the work of Émile Gallé, Demetre Chiparus and other artists of the Art nouveau and Art Deco period, in addition to special exhibitions.
• Museum of the History of the City
• Museum of Trade of Salamanca
• Casa Museo Unamuno
• Museum of Automotive History of Salamanca
• Museum of Salamanca
• Cathedral Museum
• Museum of the Convento de San Esteban
• University Museum - University Library
• University Collections
• Bullfighting Museum
• Collections of the Convento de las Úrsulas
• Museum of the Convento de Santa Clara
• Teresian Museum
• Casa Museo de Zacarías González. House where Zacarías González lived and painted, on the street Alarcón.
• Permanent Exhibition IERONIMUS. The name of the exhibition: IERONIMUS alludes to Don Jerónimo de Périgueux, famed French-born Spanish bishop by the Diocese of Salamanca in 1102, who commissioned the construction of the Iglesia de Santa María. This was the event that marked the origin of the 900 Years of Art and History of the Cathedrals of Salamanca. In this tour one can admire amazing places like the one offered by the gazebo next to the Tower del Gallo, the Patio Chico or the Terraza de Anaya. The circuit of the exhibition begins in the Board of Warden, continuing on the Board of the Tower Mocha, the Platform of the Superior Room and the Board of Vault.

It is accessed from the last tower, next to the gate of Santa Lucía (giving access to the old cathedral). In three of the rooms one can find exposed drawings, documents and religious objects related to the cathedrals; especially with its construction, one can see, both inside and outside the two cathedrals. From the "Sala del Alcaide" enjoy a splendid view of the nave and the altar of the old cathedral, and from the upper platform located thereupon, one may accurately observe the Tower del Gallo, as well as views of the Tormes and Transtormes neighborhoods. One may also enjoy the vaults of the new cathedral, and again on the outside with views of the plaza Anaya, the Tower del Reloj, the Rua Mayor and all of the historical centre.

Others

• Theatre Bretón. Now destroyed.
• Cave of Salamanca. Located on the Carvajal slope, where it is said that the devil taught black magic.
• Central Market (1899–1909). Located in the old Plaza de la Verdura. Made of iron.
• Roman Bridge of Salamanca. Of its arches, fifteen are Roman of the 1st century BC. Nearby are the Mudéjar Romanesque church of Santiago (modern reconstruction) and the stone bull quoted in Lazarillo de Tormes.

University

In 1218, Alfonso IX of León founded the University of Salamanca. Under the patronage of the learned Alfonso X, its wealth and reputation greatly increased (1252–1282), and its schools of canon law and civil law attracted students even from the Universities of Paris and Bologna. In the 16th century, the city's fortunes depended on those of the university. About the time Christopher Columbus was lecturing there on his discoveries, Hernán Cortés took classes at Salamanca, but returned home in 1501 at age 17, without completing his course of study. (About ten years later the conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado was born in Salamanca.)

It was scholars of the University such as Francisco de Vitoria who, heavily influenced by the Paris-based Scottish philosopher John Mair, helped design in 1512 the Laws of Burgos which established the right to life and liberty of the indigenous peoples of America.

Ignatius Loyola, while studying at Salamanca in 1527, was brought before an ecclesiastical commission on a charge of sympathy with the Illuminati, but escaped with a warning. In the next generation St. John of the Cross studied at Salamanca and so did the poet and writer Mateo Aleman. Miguel de Unamuno was a prominent figure of the university in more modern times.

Many people continue to come from all parts of Spain to study at the university, and the students represent a significant percentage of the city's population (the University has 36,000 students, approximately). The support of the student population is one of the most important economic activities in the city. These young people (including international students studying the Spanish language) provide Salamanca with a highly active night life, especially when school is in session on both weekdays and weekends. Among the American universities that sponsor significant summer semester programs are the University of Connecticut, Wake Forest University, Lamar University of Beaumont,Texas, Lamar State College of Port Arthur,Texas and the University of Georgia. This has led Salamanca to be at the top of lists of cities with the highest bar per inhabitant ratios in Europe, second only to Bilbao .

Geography

The city lies on several hills by the Tormes River, which is crossed by a bridge 150 m long built on 26 arches, fifteen of which are of Roman origin, while the remainder date from the a 16th-century reconstruction after a flood.

Climate

Salamanca has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb in the Koeppen climate classification), with cool winters, and warm dry summers due to the altitude.

Climate data for Salamanca
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	18.0 (64.4)	22.5 (72.5)	24.7 (76.5)	29.8 (85.6)	34.7 (94.5)	37.0 (98.6)	39.8 (103.6)	39.6 (103.3)	37.5 (99.5)	30.6 (87.1)	24.5 (76.1)	18.5 (65.3)	39.8 (103.6)
Average high °C (°F)	7.9 (46.2)	10.8 (51.4)	14.0 (57.2)	15.7 (60.3)	19.7 (67.5)	25.2 (77.4)	29.3 (84.7)	28.7 (83.7)	24.5 (76.1)	18.2 (64.8)	12.4 (54.3)	8.8 (47.8)	17.9 (64.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.6 (38.5)	5.6 (42.1)	7.7 (45.9)	9.6 (49.3)	13.4 (56.1)	17.9 (64.2)	21.0 (69.8)	20.5 (68.9)	17.2 (63)	12.2 (54)	7.3 (45.1)	4.8 (40.6)	11.7 (53.1)
Average low °C (°F)	−0.7 (30.7)	0.3 (32.5)	1.4 (34.5)	3.5 (38.3)	7.0 (44.6)	10.5 (50.9)	12.8 (55)	12.4 (54.3)	9.0 (48.2)	6.1 (43)	2.2 (36)	0.7 (33.3)	5.5 (41.9)
Record low °C (°F)	−13.4 (7.9)	−10.5 (13.1)	−8.2 (17.2)	−5.0 (23)	−1.4 (29.5)	3.0 (37.4)	5.8 (42.4)	4.5 (40.1)	1.4 (34.5)	−4.8 (23.4)	−7.6 (18.3)	−9.6 (14.7)	−13.4 (7.9)
Average precipitation cm (inches)	3.1 (1.22)	2.7 (1.06)	2.2 (0.87)	3.9 (1.54)	4.8 (1.89)	3.4 (1.34)	1.6 (0.63)	1.1 (0.43)	3.2 (1.26)	3.9 (1.54)	4.2 (1.65)	4.2 (1.65)	43.6 (17.17)
Avg. precipitation days	6	6	5	7	8	5	3	2	4	7	7	7	66
Avg. snowy days	2	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	9
Average relative humidity (%)	84	76	66	65	63	57	51	54	62	73	81	85	68
Mean monthly sunshine hours	116	150	204	216	258	304	349	330	245	185	134	96	2,586
Source: Agencia Española de Meteorología (1971-2000 climatology)[8]

Economy

The city's economy is dominated by the university and tourism, but other sectors including agriculture and livestock rearing along with construction and manufacturing are also significant. Not surprisingly, in December 2007 83% of the working population, equivalent to 55,838, were employed in the service sector.^[9]

Agriculture and livestock rearing

The 125 agricultural sector businesses accounted for 839 workers in 2007, or just 1.24% of the working population.

Industry

Industrial activity accounted for 5% of the working population, or 3,340 workers employed over 360 businesses.^[9] Two of the largest businesses, both of them numbered among the largest 100 enterprises in the region, are the veterinary vaccine manufacturer "Laboratorios Intervet", and the fertilizer specialist manufacturers S.A. Mirat, which is the city's oldest industrial company, having been established originally as a starch factory in 1812.^[10]

Communications

Railroad

Renfe has trains to national destinations like Madrid, Valladolid, Zaragoza, while international destinations are Paris (via Irun) and Lisbon via Guarda, Portugal. Until 1984 it was possible to travel by train to Porto and Lisbon via the Douro railway line, but the cross-border section east of Pocinho is now closed.

Road

Highways

• A50: Autovía de la Cultura: Ávila - Salamanca
• A62: Autovía de Castilla: Burgos - Valladolid - Salamanca - Ciudad Rodrigo.
• A66: Autovía Ruta de la Plata: Gijón - Oviedo - Mieres - Puerto de Pajares - León - Benavente - Zamora - Salamanca - Béjar - Plasencia - Mérida - Sevilla.
• SA-11: North access to Salamanca.
• SA-20: South access to Salamanca.

Other roads

• N-501: Ávila - Peñaranda de Bracamonte - Salamanca.
• N-620: Burgos - Venta de Baños - Valladolid - Tordesillas - Salamanca - Ciudad Rodrigo - Portugal.

Airport

Salamanca Airport, located in the military base of Matacán, is located about 14 km (9 mi) east of the city. There are regular flights to Barcelona, Paris, and charter flights to Palma de Mallorca and the Canary Islands. In the summer there are also regular flights to Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Gran Canaria, Málaga and Ibiza.

Public transport

There are 13 bus lines during the day and one night line. Also, a tram line has been projected.^[11]

Culture and sports

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Old City of Salamanca
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Reference	381
UNESCO region	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1988 (12th Session)

The Old City of Salamanca was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. In 2002 Salamanca shared the title of European Capital of Culture with Bruges. In 2005, Salamanca celebrated the 250 anniversary of the construction of the Plaza Mayor with a number of European events (Plaza Mayor de Europa). Salamanca is a popular tourist destination, especially in the Summer. Tourism is the primary economic activity in the city, along with the revenue generated from a constant influx of foreign university students learning Spanish.

Festivals

Holy Week

The Holy Week in Salamanca (Semana Santa) is the most well-known of Salamanca's festivals. Salamanca is renowned for the solemn and sober processions celebrated during Holy Week. 16 confraternities, 10.000 brothers or "cofrades", 50 floats or "pasos" celebrate the Passion of Christ with 20 processions and thousands of followers, tourist and visitors. Some of the celebrations have been performed for centuries. The confraternities carry artistic pasos created by important Spanish artists such as Luis Salvador Carmona, Alejandro Carnicero or Mariano Benlliure. in 2003 the Semana Santa of Salamanca obtained the official declaration of International Touristic Interest.^[12]

Lunes de Aguas

Another traditional Salmantinian celebration is the Lunes de Aguas, "Water Monday", the Monday after the Sunday following Easter. Originally this served to celebrate the official allowance of the authorities for the prostitutes to return to the city after Lent and Easter. All the shops closed and Salmantinos picnic in the countryside to eat a kind of meat pie called hornazo.

Other

Salamanca is also famous throughout Spain and the rest of Europe for its celebrations of "Nochevieja Universitaria," loosely translated as "University New Year".^[13] It is usually held on the Thursday of the last week of school in December and two weeks before the real New Year's Eve. On this day, students congregate in the Plaza Mayor, Salamanca to watch free performances and take part in the countdown to midnight. This tradition was started spontaneously by a few college students who wanted to celebrate New Year's Eve with their friends first before spending the real one with their families at home. Since then, students from all around Spain have been flocking to Salamanca to enjoy the festivities with their friends, making it one of the largest annual events in Salamanca.

Sports

Salamanca offers the amenities of a larger city while retaining an intimate small town atmosphere. Since 1923, "Los Charros", formally the Union Deportiva Salamanca, have been the Salamanca football team. In 2013, the club went bankrupt and its activities were abandoned.^[14]

Cinema

Salamanca has been shown in the cinema many times. Its old streets are the perfect setting for historic productions. Among some international films should be mentioned 1492: Conquest of Paradise by Ridley Scott and Goya's Ghosts by Miloš Forman. Salamanca was the setting for the 2008 political thriller Vantage Point, although the movie was almost exclusively filmed in Mexico.

Gastronomy

Salamanca has a very interesting and distinctive gastronmy. Among many dishes, Chanfaina is very popular: steamed rice with pork; Another classic dish of the Salamancan, known as Charreria ("peasant lands"), is a cocido, a slow-cooked casserole including chickpeas. However, Hornazo is the most popular dish of all.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Salamanca is twinned with:

Bruges, Belgium Buenos Aires, Argentina Coimbra, Portugal Gijón, Asturias, Spain

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain Nîmes, France Würzburg, Germany

Gallery

• 

  Plateresque façade of the University of Salamanca

• 

  Salamanca viewed from the Old Cathedral

• 

  New Cathedral of Salamanca

• 

  Plaza Mayor

• 

  Casa de las Muertes (House of the Deaths)

• 

  Cloister of Convento de las Dueñas

• 

  Banco de España

• 

  Walls of Salamanca

• 

  The Roman bridge of Salamanca

• 

  Statue of D. Gonzalo Torrente Ballester located at the literary café: Café Novelty. The oldest of the cafes of Salamanca, which opened in 1905 in the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca.

• 

  A statue of Jesus in Salamanca

See also

• Salmanticenses and Complutenses

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salamanca.

• Official Tourist Information Office
• Wiki of the city of Salamanca
• General information on Salamanca
• General information about events in Salamanca
• Salamanca travel guide
• Salamanca: Spain's answer to Oxford by The Guardian
• Salamanca city guide at HitchHikers Handbook

Museums

• Art Nouveau and Art Decó Museum Casa Lis
• Car History Museum
• Cathedral Museum

World Heritage Sites in Spain For official site names, see each article or the List of World Heritage Sites in Spain. North West Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain1 Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias Roman Walls of Lugo Route of Santiago de Compostela1 Santiago de Compostela Tower of Hercules North East Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain1 Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon Pyrénées - Mont Perdu2 Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin1 Route of Santiago de Compostela1 San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries Vizcaya Bridge Community of Madrid Aranjuez Cultural Landscape El Escorial University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares Centre Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida Archaeological Site of Atapuerca Ávila with its Extra-mural Churches Burgos Cathedral Cáceres Cuenca Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija3 Las Médulas Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin1 Route of Santiago de Compostela1 Salamanca Santa María de Guadalupe Segovia and its Aqueduct Toledo Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde East Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Tarragona Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí Ibiza (Biodiversity and Culture) Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona Palmeral of Elche Poblet Monastery Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin1 Serra de Tramuntana Silk Exchange in Valencia Works of Antoni Gaudí South Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias, Seville Historic Centre of Córdoba Doñana Renaissance Monuments of Úbeda and Baeza Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin1 Canary Islands Garajonay San Cristóbal de La Laguna Teide National Park 1 Shared with other region/s 2 Shared with France 3 Shared with Slovenia

European Capitals of Culture 1985 Athens 1986 Florence 1987 Amsterdam 1988 West Berlin 1989 Paris 1990 Glasgow 1991 Dublin 1992 Madrid 1993 Antwerp 1994 Lisbon 1995 Luxembourg City 1996 Copenhagen 1997 Thessaloniki 1998 Stockholm 1999 Weimar 2000 Reykjavík Bergen Helsinki Brussels Prague Kraków Santiago de Compostela Avignon Bologna 2001 Rotterdam Porto 2002 Bruges Salamanca 2003 Graz Plovdiv 2004 Genoa Lille 2005 Cork 2006 Patras 2007 Luxembourg City and Greater Region Sibiu 2008 Liverpool Stavanger 2009 Linz Vilnius 2010 Ruhr Istanbul Pécs 2011 Turku Tallinn 2012 Maribor Guimarães 2013 Košice Marseille 2014 Umeå Riga 2015 Mons Plzeň 2016 San Sebastián Wrocław 2017 Aarhus Paphos 2018 Valletta Leeuwarden 2019 Plovdiv Matera

Municipalities in the province of Salamanca Abusejo Agallas Ahigal de Villarino Ahigal de los Aceiteros Alaraz Alba de Tormes Alba de Yeltes Alconada Aldea del Obispo Aldeacipreste Aldeadávila de la Ribera Aldealengua Aldeanueva de Figueroa Aldeanueva de la Sierra Aldearrodrigo Aldearrubia Aldeaseca de Alba Aldeaseca de la Frontera Aldeatejada Aldeavieja de Tormes Aldehuela de Yeltes Aldehuela de la Bóveda Almenara de Tormes Almendra Anaya de Alba Arabayona de Mógica Arapiles Arcediano Armenteros Añover de Tormes Babilafuente Barbadillo Barbalos Barceo Barruecopardo Bañobárez Beleña Bermellar Berrocal de Huebra Berrocal de Salvatierra Boada Bogajo Brincones Buenamadre Buenavista Béjar Bóveda del Río Almar Cabeza del Caballo Cabezabellosa de la Calzada Cabrerizos Cabrillas Calvarrasa de Abajo Calvarrasa de Arriba Calzada de Don Diego Calzada de Valdunciel Campillo de Azaba Candelario Canillas de Abajo Cantagallo Cantalapiedra Cantalpino Cantaracillo Carbajosa de la Sagrada Carpio de Azaba Carrascal de Barregas Carrascal del Obispo Casafranca Casillas de Flores Castellanos de Moriscos Castellanos de Villiquera Castillejo de Martín Viejo Castraz Cepeda Cereceda de la Sierra Cerezal de Peñahorcada Cerralbo Cespedosa de Tormes Chagarcía Medianero Cilleros de la Bastida Cipérez Ciudad Rodrigo Coca de Alba Colmenar de Montemayor Cordovilla Cristóbal de la Sierra Dios le Guarde Doñinos de Ledesma Doñinos de Salamanca Ejeme El Arco El Bodón El Cabaco El Campo de Peñaranda El Cerro El Cubo de Don Sancho El Manzano El Maíllo El Milano El Payo El Pedroso de la Armuña El Pino de Tormes El Sahugo El Tejado El Tornadizo Encina de San Silvestre Encinas de Abajo Encinas de Arriba Encinasola de los Comendadores Endrinal Escurial de la Sierra Espadaña Espeja Espino de la Orbada Florida de Liébana Forfoleda Frades de la Sierra Fresnedoso Fresno Alhándiga Fuenteguinaldo Fuenteliante Fuenterroble de Salvatierra Fuentes de Béjar Fuentes de Oñoro Gajates Galindo y Perahuy Galinduste Galisancho Gallegos de Argañán Gallegos de Solmirón Garcibuey Garcihernández Garcirrey Gejuelo del Barro Golpejas Gomecello Guadramiro Guijo de Ávila Guijuelo Herguijuela de Ciudad Rodrigo Herguijuela de la Sierra Herguijuela del Campo Hinojosa de Duero Horcajo Medianero Horcajo de Montemayor Huerta Iruelos Ituero de Azaba Juzbado La Alameda de Gardón La Alamedilla La Alberca La Alberguería de Argañán La Atalaya La Bastida La Bouza La Cabeza de Béjar La Calzada de Béjar La Encina La Fregeneda La Fuente de San Esteban La Hoya La Mata de Ledesma La Maya La Orbada La Peña La Redonda La Rinconada de la Sierra La Sagrada La Sierpe La Tala La Vellés La Vídola La Zarza de Pumareda Lagunilla Larrodrigo Las Casas del Conde Las Veguillas Ledesma Ledrada Linares de Riofrío Los Santos Lumbrales Machacón Macotera Madroñal Malpartida Mancera de Abajo Martiago Martinamor Martín de Yeltes Masueco Matilla de los Caños del Río Membribe de la Sierra Mieza Miranda de Azán Miranda del Castañar Mogarraz Molinillo Monforte de la Sierra Monleras Monleón Monsagro Montejo Montemayor del Río Monterrubio de Armuña Monterrubio de la Sierra Morasverdes Morille Moriscos Moronta Moríñigo Mozárbez Narros de Matalayegua Nava de Béjar Nava de Francia Nava de Sotrobal Navacarros Navales Navalmoral de Béjar Navamorales Navarredonda de la Rinconada Navasfrías Negrilla de Palencia Olmedo de Camaces Pajares de la Laguna Palacios del Arzobispo Palaciosrubios Palencia de Negrilla Parada de Arriba Parada de Rubiales Paradinas de San Juan Pastores Pedraza de Alba Pedrosillo de Alba Pedrosillo de los Aires Pedrosillo el Ralo Pelabravo Pelarrodríguez Pelayos Peralejos de Abajo Peralejos de Arriba Pereña de la Ribera Peromingo Peñacaballera Peñaparda Peñaranda de Bracamonte Peñarandilla Pinedas Pitiegua Pizarral Poveda de las Cintas Pozos de Hinojo Puebla de Azaba Puebla de San Medel Puebla de Yeltes Puente del Congosto Puertas Puerto Seguro Puerto de Béjar Retortillo Robleda Robliza de Cojos Rollán Rágama Saelices el Chico Salamanca Saldeana Salmoral Salvatierra de Tormes San Cristóbal de la Cuesta San Esteban de la Sierra San Felices de los Gallegos San Martín del Castañar San Miguel de Valero San Miguel del Robledo San Morales San Muñoz San Pedro de Rozados San Pedro del Valle San Pelayo de Guareña Sanchotello Sanchón de la Ribera Sanchón de la Sagrada Sancti-Spíritus Sando Santa Marta de Tormes Santa María de Sando Santiago de la Puebla Santibáñez de Béjar Santibáñez de la Sierra Santiz Sardón de los Frailes Saucelle Sepulcro-Hilario Sequeros Serradilla del Arroyo Serradilla del Llano Sieteiglesias de Tormes Sobradillo Sorihuela Sotoserrano Tabera de Abajo Tamames Tarazona de Guareña Tardáguila Tejeda y Segoyuela Tenebrón Terradillos Topas Tordillos Torresmenudas Trabanca Tremedal de Tormes Valdecarros Valdefuentes de Sangusín Valdehijaderos Valdelacasa Valdelageve Valdelosa Valdemierque Valderrodrigo Valdunciel Valero Vallejera de Riofrío Valsalabroso Valverde de Valdelacasa Valverdón Vecinos Vega de Tirados Ventosa del Río Almar Villaflores Villagonzalo de Tormes Villalba de los Llanos Villamayor Villanueva del Conde Villar de Argañán Villar de Ciervo Villar de Gallimazo Villar de Peralonso Villar de Samaniego Villar de la Yegua Villares de Yeltes Villares de la Reina Villarino de los Aires Villarmayor Villarmuerto Villasbuenas Villasdardo Villaseco de los Gamitos Villaseco de los Reyes Villasrubias Villaverde de Guareña Villavieja de Yeltes Villoria Villoruela Vilvestre Vitigudino Yecla de Yeltes Zamarra Zamayón Zarapicos Zorita de la Frontera

Capitals of provinces of Spain A Coruña Albacete Alicante Almería Ávila Badajoz Barcelona Bilbao Burgos Cáceres Cádiz Castellón de la Plana Ciudad Real Córdoba Cuenca Donostia-San Sebastián Girona Granada Guadalajara Huelva Huesca Jaén Logroño Las Palmas León Lleida Lugo Madrid Málaga Murcia Ourense Oviedo Palencia Palma Pamplona Pontevedra Salamanca Santander Santa Cruz Segovia Seville Soria Tarragona Teruel Toledo Valencia Valladolid Vitoria-Gasteiz Zamora Zaragoza

Coordinates: 40°57′42″N 5°40′03″W / 40.961612°N 5.667607°W / 40.961612; -5.667607