About Salamanca
Below you can find useful information about Salamanca including facts, main attractions and free time activities available.
Facts
Salamanca is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula within the province of Castilla Leon; it is close to the border with Portugal and only a couple of hours from the capital of Spain, Madrid.
The city has 170,000 inhabitants and the main industries (apart from the University) is the service sector and agriculture.The climate in Salamanca varies from cold during the winter season, occasionally reaching the freezing point, to warm in the summer, with temperature up to 35Cº / 95Fº.
Salamanca is best known as being a University city; more than 30.000 people, which is nearly 20 percent of the population, are students and a great part of the inhabitants are either directly or indirectly related to the university. The University of Salamanca is one of the most important universities in Spain, dating back to 1218 which makes it the third oldest university in Europe.
Today, apart from a famous university town, Salamanca is a modern city with a good infrastructure and which celebrates many international conferences and important cultural events. It is a UNESCO World Heritage City and, in 2002, was named the European Cultural Capital.
The Spanish spoken in Salamanca is the purest in Spain, which also makes the city a popular destination for foreigners wishing to learn Spanish.
Attractions
Although Salamanca is not very big in size, it still offers many interesting free time activities both for students and tourists.
The main monuments in Salamanca are the old cathedral which dates back to the beginning of the 15th century, the old university buildings with their outstanding Spanish plateresque style, as well as the big central square 'Plaza Mayor' which was built in the 18th century using a baroque style.
Apart from all the monuments, the city also offers many cultural attractions like theatres, concerts and other events; Salamanca is also known for its interesting nightlife, with students going out for a tapa (snack), to chat or dance throughout the week.
