The University of Salamanca is a world-renowned university made up of architectural gems used for residence halls and faculty buildings. Established in 1218, the college was the first university in Spain and is one of the oldest in Europe. Make your way through the pleasant courtyards and halls of its historic structures for a sense of the prestige associated with this university.
Take part in the tradition of searching for the frog in the façade of one of the buildings. One legend says that finding the frog will help students do well. Get a glimpse of the culture by speaking with some of the 30,000 students, of whom about one-third are international. The college is known for its abundance of foreign students and courses for non-native Spanish speakers.
Visit the main library, which holds about 160,000 books. Gaze up at its acclaimed ceiling painting, The Sky of Salamanca.
Learn about the university’s most famous students, such as conquistador Hernán Cortés, Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote Don Quixote, and Alexander Payne, the director of movies About Schmidt and Sideways. Initially comprising several colleges, the university has long been considered the Oxford of Spain. It also specializes in the study of humanities and has campuses in Ávila, Béjar and Zamora.
Note the intriguing relationship between this college and the nearby Pontifical University of Salamanca, which is a Jesuit institution. When the Spanish government canceled the subjects of canon law and theology from the University of Salamanca, the latter university sprang from their faculties. Visit the ecclesiastical university for its church La Clerecía and admire the view from the bell tower.
The University of Salamanca is just south of the historic center of the city and a little north of the Tormes River. It is a 20-minute walk southwest from La Alamedilla railway station. Visit nearby attractions, such as the Salamanca Cathedral, St. Stephen’s Convent and the Casa de las Conchas.
