One of the three oldest universities in the world. The University was started about 1218 by King Alfonso IX of Leôn. The school has produced such scholars as Cervantes, St. John of the cross, and the philosopher Miguel de Unamuno. The scene above is the Patio de las Escuelas. The building with the two doors at the far end is the library with its carved front with King Ferdinandd and Isabella and the hard to find frog that has become the humorous mascot of the university. Christoper Columbus supposedly came here to beg for funds to make his voyage to the New World.

 

Universidad de Salamaca is the oldest university in Spain (est. 1230) and one of the three oldest in the world. It is the alma mater of numbers of historical characters, including Columbus, who came here to learn more about geography. That statue which you see is Fray Luis de León.

This picture shows the front of the entrance into the library, one of the major tourist attractions in town. It is decorated in what is called Plateresque style, which is so intricate that it looks like silverwork. Carlos V. was responsible for the facade. The university buildings were built with funds granted by Ferdinand and Isabel who felt the university should have buildings that matched its reputation. Most of the buildings are built in Renaissance style, although the modern parts of the campus are almost all latter 20th century in architecture. Note that the buildings are built of the beautiful sandstone for which the area is famous. That's what the backgrounds of these pages represent, as well.
 

We don't go to classes on the main campus. Instead, we have all of our classes in the Cursos Internacionales building in the Plaza Boal. This is a beautiful building located north of the Plaza Mayor that has a number of classrooms and two computer centers so students can use the internet for study or for communicating with the folks back home.