23.8.10

Salamanca

After Bilbao (see previous post and map) and about four hours on excellent Spanish roads, we reached Salamanca, a beautiful city with a very long history. It’s famous for its university, one of the oldest in Europe (officially created in 1218) – together with Bologna, Paris, Oxford, Montpellier… - and for its architecture.

Again, we just stayed overnight and had little time for exploring (fortunately this was not my first visit) the multitude of amazing buildings. The centre is full of them, mostly built in a typical sandstone, which gives them a golden glow, especially during sunset and sunrise. The city is referred to as “La Ciudad Dorada” (The Golden City). Most of these buildings date from between the 15th and 18th century.

The central square, "Plaza Mayor", can compete for being one of the most beautiful in Europe. It was created during the 18th century and those days bullfights took place on the plaza. Today you will just find some peaceful cafés.
The specific style of architecture which you find all around, “plateresque”, is particularly visible on the University facade.
There is an older cathedral, but the bigger one, which you can see here, dates from the 16th century. The exterior as well as the interior are spectacular.
A completely different building is the “Casa Lis”, "only" some 100 years old. It was restored, the stained glass windows were added, and in 1995 it opened as a museum for a collection of “art nouveau” and “art deco” objects.

27 comments:

Simony said...

Peter, beautiful facades everywhere you go!
Is that "plateresque" style some kind of Rococo? The work is so intricate!
Cathedrals are always so rich in details. I am surprised you were able to photograph the interior.
Casa Lis must be a show of natural light inside of it.
Thanks for sharing all these beauties with us.

krystyna said...

Nice to see you, Peter!
What a beautiful family vacation you had.
Those places and those old buildings are amazing!

Thanks for sharing!

Shammickite said...

Welome back from your travels, Peter! I started reading your Bilbao post and got interrupted so I didn't have time to leave a comment. But I love that "Puppy"!
And Salamanca..., what can I say? Beautiful buildings everywhere, both old and new. I can only imagine what those windows look like from the inside of "cas Lis".... incredibel I'm sure.
Good to see you back safe and sound, Peter!

Thérèse said...

It seems very unique indeed!
A huge plazza!

Kate said...

"A multiple of amazing buildings" is so very accurate!

Shane Pollard said...

Hi Peter

Great to see you're back - you've been missed!
I can see you've had an amazing holiday and enjoyed the sights of Portugal.
These photos are just stunning as always - the architecture a visual feast - thank you!

La Brocanteuse said...

I agree, welcome back Peter, thank you for sharing these lovely images. looking forward to see what you show us next. have a lovely week. ~Colette

Rakesh Vanamali said...

The Plaza Mayor is certainly a very impressive building! Salamanca surely has some stunning structures that the eye can chance upon!

Wonderful pictures, as always!

Olivier said...

c'est magnifique, j'aime bcp la première photo de nuit, superbe éclairage sur ce bâtiment.

Starman said...

Oly two weeks till we're in Spain.

Cergie said...

Une belle place mais moins belle que la place Stanislas de Nancy, non ?
J'aurais cru que la photo en bas est de la Grande Serre nouvellement réouverte du Jardin des Plantes.
Comme tu es déjà allé et hormis que tu as rencontré Gil, tu aurais pu rester à Paris.
:)

Trotter said...

The most beautiful Plaza Mayor in Spain! And all the rest... Salamanca is a wonderful spot!!

Cezar and Léia said...

It's a rich place to fill our heart, eyes and soul with beauty!
Wonderful pictures!
hugs
Léia

Anonymous said...

Welcome back,Peter!
It must have been a wonderful time with the family, I am happy for you hoping those smokes of fires did not disturb you in Portugal.
And now we can see with you those fine historical buildings and more, thank you !

joanna said...

Peter:

Nice to see you are back again. Through your travels I am learning something new. I had no idea how beautiful this city was. Your photographs display some stunning styles of Spanish architecture. The facades appears to be characterized by lavish ornaments in a variety of motifs, especially Gothic, Renaissance, and Moorish. But then again there are several centuries of architecture built side by side, so it would make sense. so much to take in looking at your photographs.
Joanny

Unknown said...

Isn't Salamanca just great?!

I didn't know you were travelling by car, I thought you would fly to Lisbon to go to Sesimbra and rest there. Hope you have enjoyed your stay here. Was it too hot? :-)

BLOGitse said...

Hola! Que tal?
Greetings from Bilbao! :)
We loved that clean, beautiful city!
and noticed how much we both miss Europe!
Good food and wine, sigh! paradise!

Paris Paul said...

I LOVE the stained glass in the last set. I'm a big fan of Art Nouveau (last Thursday I went to the d'Orsay and enjoyed the Art Nouveau section there). I hope the museum was as nice inside as out!

Thanks for sharing, Peter.

Anonymous said...

After living in Paris, these many years, do you suddenly find yourself less impressed with the architecture or are you still fascinated? I suppose if I lived in a Yurt and saw the neighbor's yurts it may get old fast, but I wonder if there is a renewed fascination with the yurts in the next valley?

I sometimes see and am astonished by the homes I have seen on television programs where people are looking to buy a home in some foreign country. The kitchens are totally different as are the bathrooms and some have such low ceilings.

I suspect it is different in Paris from Sweden. I know there are several people whose blogs I visit who are American but married and are now living in Sweden but most are on farms and they are somewhat similar to what we have over here.

Virginia said...

Oh Peter, the architecture here is magnificent. Your photographs are just beautiful. What a wonderful place to vacation with your family.
V

claude said...

Este very beautiful tout ça.
Esta una plaza magnifica.
Quelle belle architecture !
Dieser Platz ist sehr schön.

Mo said...

A very grand place

Anonymous said...

Very stunning.What a place & plaza.

alice said...

Cette ville est une splendeur! On dit qu'on y parle le castillan le plus pur du pays, c'est peut-être pourquoi on y trouve de nombreuses écoles de langue. Tiens, si je me remettais à l'espagnol? ;-)

James said...

Hi Peter. It's nice to see you back. I always look forward to your photos. :)

lasiate said...

une sacrée collection de façades

Vagabonde said...

Je ne connaissais pas cette ville. Les batiments sont magnifiques.