A Classic Yet Elegant Salamanca!

"Salamanca lies smiling on its three hills. Sleeps to the sound of mandolins. And wakes up startled by the shouting of its students." – Victor Hugo

Students! It would be the first thing come up to mind when talking about Salamanca. Situated in the central of Spain, Salamanca has become home for both Spanish and International student. On the top of that, it’s said that Miguel de Cervantes was one of the student of University of Salamanca.



I went to Salamanca six years ago (10/07/2010). It was the first excursion of my summer class. We left Valladolid by bus at 9:30, and arrived in Salamanca around 11:00. Salamanca is located in the south-west of Valladolid.

Convento de San Esteban

Convento de San Esteban was our first stop. It’s the Dominican church that was built in 16th century. If you look carefully, you'll notice that it has an arch of triumph’s façade. It’s unusual yet unique. I don’t know if there is another church with such façade. 

Plaza Mayor

From Convento de San Esteban, we headed to Plaza Mayor. This central square is considered as the largest and most beautiful in Spain. Alberto Churriguera designed the square in baroque-style based on order from Felipe V. It was originally built for bull fighting. The sandstone buildings around the square emit the beautiful golden glow (especially in the night), making Salamanca is best-known as The Golden City.

Casa de las Conchas

There is a unique house which has 373 shells in its façade. It’s Casa de las Conchas. It’s about a five minute walk from Plaza Mayor. It was built by Don Rodrigo Arias Maldonado for his marriage. The shell is the symbol of Order de Santiago where he came from. Another unique thing from this house is its four windows which have different style in design. Today, the house is used as public library, and the entrance is free. Opposite to Casa de las Conchas, lies Universidad Pontificia.

Not far from Casa de las Conchas, stand a set of classical buildings of the famous University of Salamanca. The university is considered as the oldest in Spain and the forth oldest in the Europe. The main university building is located in Plaza de la Universidad. When you found Fray Luis de Leon statue in the center of the square, it means you’re already there. Most of tourists congregated in front of the main university façade. What were they doing there? Yes, they were finding the frog!

Main University facade where the legendary frog was carved

Here is the legend behind the frog. Students who can spot the frog on the skull amongst the carvings on the façade of the university, will pass their exams. Tourists who manage in finding the frog will have a good luck. That’s why the frog become the symbol of Salamanca.

However, recent study by Benjamin Garcia-Hernandez offers a different story of this legendary frog. He believes that the skull represents Prince Juan, a son of The Catholic King, who died before turning 20. The frog represents his physician Doctor Parra who was unable to save him despite of many efforts. The frog then called ‘Parrita’ (Little Para).

Besides the frog, there are two other mysterious carvings. They were carved in Catedral Nueva (The New Cathedral). Well, Salamanca has two cathedrals. The other one is Catedral Vieja (The Old Cathedral). The New Cathedral is within walking distance from University. This gothic cathedral was built between 16th to 18th centuries based on the order of The Catholic King. 

The New Cathedral - Puerta de Ramos
(You can see some visitors gathered in front of the facade where the an astronaut & an ice-cream eating gargoyle were carved.)

The mysterious carvings are an astronaut and an ice-cream eating gargoyle. They’re carved in the façade of Puerta de Ramos of the cathedral. How is it possible the building from 16th century has an astronaut carving when there was no astronaut back then? I found it’s funny that a gargoyle is eating an ice-cream cone. Some let the existence of those two in 16th century building remain a mystery.

However, there is a logical explanation why those two were carved there. They might be added as ‘personal signature’ by the one who was in charge of doing restoration work in 1992. It’s said that an astronaut represents 20th century and an ice-cream eating gargoyle represents the students. Despite of this fact, most of visitors still enjoy finding the carvings. 

Overall, I like Salamanca. I think it’s classic yet elegant. I was impressed with how good they maintain those medieval buildings. They are old but do not look old. Moreover, the inhabitants speak the purest Spanish, making Salamanca be the first choice to learn Spanish. 

I returned to Valladolid in the afternoon. Most of historical sites are situated close to each other, making it’s possible to explore the city only in a day. The only thing I missed was The Roman Bridge. As I mentioned earlier, I came to Salamanca as part of my summer class program. Unfortunately, the bridge that crosses the Tormes River, was not in the itinerary list even though it’s also walk-able from other historical sites. Well, maybe next time when there is a chance of going back to Salamanca.

"Salamanca makes all those who have enjoyed its pleasant living experience to have a desire to return." – Miguel de Cervantes