The City of Salamanca

Salamanca is a city in western Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca, which belongs to the autonomous community of Castile and Leon (Castilla y León). The Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

It is situated about 200 km west of Madrid and 80 km east of the Portuguese border. With a population around 160,000. Salamanca is known both for its monumental sights and the University of Salamanca, which was founded in 1218 and is the oldest university in Spain and the fourth oldest western university. With its 30,000 students, the university is, together with tourism, the economic engine of the city. Salamanca is also known for the teaching of the Spanish language; in this field, Salamanca supplies 16% of the market within Spain and attracts thousands of foreign students.

Beyond the school's own facilities students have access to the extensive resources offered by the neighbouring university, city library, museums, art galleries, theatres and a sports centre.

When students need relaxation of a different kind, there are various shopping areas and malls. This is the gateway to pavement café-bars and restaurants. That, coupled with city centre street entertainers, creates a distinctive continental atmosphere.

As a holiday resort Salamanca offers all the usual amenities and many other attractions such as the Cathedral, the theatre, several sports centres, couple of entertainment complex (cinema, bowling, restaurants, bars and nightclubs), many night spots and of course lots of "Tapas" restaturants. All these co-exist in this modern cosmopolitan city rich in culture, tradition and history.