NHC Salamanca Palacio de Castellanos

It belonged to the Monterrey family, who ordered to build it. It is the most representative construction from the Plateresque period in Spain. It is a square building that is extended on its back by two parallel wings. It consists of three floors and four towers. The gallery of its last body consists of arcades finished off by medallions. The Public area of the palace was decorated with windows with lintel with semicolumns on both sides. In the upper section there is a gallery. The towers has windowed balconies and are crowned by a Plateresque cresting, Inside the palace, there are many heraldry and historical elements that represent noble families such as the Casa de Zúñiga, Acevedo, Ulloa and Fonseca, among others Despite its majesty, only a quarter of the original proyect was carried out. We should highlight the contrast between the defensive aspect of the towers and the cresting of the upper gallery, marked out by human forms of great beauty. Nowadays, it belongs to the ducal family of Alba.

Next to the Old Cathedral, the construction of this Cathedral began in 1513, called popularly “the new one”. The Cathedral’s chapter meeting of Salamanca was the promoter with the financing of Catholic Kings Isabel and Fernando, who were by then in the maximum religious cultural and political apogee. Spain was an exponent in World. The works lasted nothing less than 250 years and many of the best architects directed these works. Juan de Álava worked principally in Salamanca, where between 1520 and 1535 directed the works of this New Cathedral of Salamanca, and whose facade he decorated with varied renaissance-ish elements of medieval influence where saint’s statues in encrusted shelves were the most typical. They are built in famous Villamayor Stone; which its quarry is to the west of Salamanca, and which has been very prolific in our monuments. Juan de Álava is considerated one of the most distinguished representatives of the Spanish plateresque for he was the one that best assimilated the decorative proper concept of the Italian Renaissance but adapting it to an authentic Spanish art. Between 1521 and 1525 he did many works by assignment of the Fonseca archbishop in Salamanca, and important works in Santiago de Compostela. In 1705 Pantaleón del Pontón Setién, Master of stonework that had succeed his uncle as major master of works of the cathedral of Salamanca, designs the master lines of to remodel this Cathedral. Later, he takes the colossal work Joaquín Churriguera, very well-known architect working also in Plaza Mayor of Salamanca. Juan de Sagarbinaga was the main introducer of the languages of classicism and of the new technical that dominated the architecture by the years 1750 / 60; He was a great interpreter and connoisseur of the architecture of the refined classicism. He reconstructed the dome after the sinking due to the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, that affected numerous monuments such us as Clerecia or Anaya Palace. The reconstruction was based on dismantling and rebuilding the plans of architect Fray Antonio de San José Pontones, Benedictine monk, engineer, and Spanish writer (1710- 1774).

House of Shells, one of the most important Gotic civil Buildings of Spain It is a Late Gothic building with Renaissance and Mudéjar elements. It is the residence of the knight of the Order of Santiago, Don Rodrigo García Maldonado, that is why its façade is decorated with shells as well as with many coats of arms such as Maldonado´ s one with five lilies which are the symbol of his wedding with Doña María de Pimentel, located over the door and the coat of arms of the Catholic Kings placed further up it. The most outstanding elements are the windows grilles, the courtyard coffered ceiling and finally the three bays staircase that makes possible the access to the upper floor. The palace suffers some changes in the XVIII Century, with overhangs and cracks, in spite of the restoration carried out by Simón Gavilán. Nowadays, the building houses inside an art gallery, the Salamanca public library and the tourist office.

alamanca University was founded in 1218, and gained great prestige outside Spain as a centre for teaching and culture. The university building has a square floorplan with a central courtyard and surrounding galleries. Its most interesting feature is its Plateresque façade. The Escuelas Menores buildings stand beside the University and have façades in a similar artistic style, and in one of their classrooms you can still see the ceiling painted by Fernando Gállego.

The Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Castilla y León, located in the heart of Salamanca’s city, is a first class international reference in the organization and hosting of all types of events. Thanks to an innovative and multipurpose structure it is the perfect choice to host any type of event, from seminars or work meetings for small groups, to crowded conferences, business presentations, exhibitions or cultural events. These very modern and multipurpose premises include rooms with a seating capacity of more than 2,5000 people, equipped with the most sophisticated technology and provided with all the necessary services to guarantee that any celebration will be a great success. Ideally positioned, the Palacio is the hub of the city at cultural, economic, trade and social levels and that is why many customers have already chosen the premises as their meeting point.

Las Torres de la Clerecía opens to the public and gives a boost to the city’s tourist appeal The opening of the Torres de la Clerecía brings with it a new challenge for the city stemming from the agreement and commitment of Salamanca City Hall and the Pontifical University of Salamanca to work together. Another goal of the venture is sustainable management. In this regard, Salamanca City Hall, through the Salamanca Tourist Board, the municipal corporation given the task of promoting the city’s tourism, will manage this tour in collaboration with the Pontifical University of Salamanca. They have therefore contracted a customer assistance service for the tours, a service that will be run by a team of ten people. The revenue from the sale of tickets and merchandise will be used to pay for this service, which will create ten new positions in the city. Once more, it uses the city’s cultural heritage to promote services for citizens as well as projecting a positive image of the city. Tourism and cultural heritage attest to their own economic and social importance. Route The entrance is located in Calle Compañía, at the door with the double staircase, the main entrance to the Pontifical University. The tour begins at the entranceway, and once inside, the audiovisual projection entitled Lorem ipsum ad his scripta blandit gives visitors their first feel of the tour with pictures of the construction of the building and the architects. Following the climb, visitors access the women’s gallery or public gallery, from whose balconies we visit the inside of the Royal Ministry of San Marcos (Real Clerecía de San Marcos), featuring the first balcony, to which visitors have access, and just next to it, the upper altar and its wonderful Baroque altarpiece.