Salamanca

This lovely postcard of the beautiful Plaza Mayor in Salamanca was sent to Postcards from the World by 'Ropaland', a member of our Gibraltar News Online Forum.

In his email, forwarding the postcard to me, Ropaland said:

"We picked up this post card of the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, while driving back to Gibraltar. Indeed, my wife and I drank to your health while dining at the Meson Cervantes on the square. It seemed the appropriate thing to do having just purchased the card to send to you!!"

Now isn't that nice? I'm only sorry I was not there to return Ropaland's toast ... it might have been a long night!

My thanks to Ropaland and his wife (for her forebearance perhaps) not only for sending in this lovely postcard of one of my own favourite Spanish cities... but also especially for 'toasting my health'. I hope one day to be able to reciprocate, personally!

Salamanca - Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Salamanca (population 155,740) is a city in western Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca, which belongs to the autonomous community (region) of Castile and Leon (Castilla y León).

The 'Old City' of Salamanca was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Geography

The city lies on a mountain by the Tormes River, which is crossed by a bridge 150m long built on 26 arches, fifteen of which are of Roman origin, while the remainder date from the 16th century. Read more...

History

The city was founded in the pre-Ancient Rome period by the Vacceos, a Celtic tribe, as one of a pair of forts to defend their territory near the Duero river. In the third century BC, Hannibal laid siege to the city. With the fall of the Carthaginians to the Romans, the city began to take more importance as a commercial hub. At this time it was called Helmantica or Salmantica. Read more...

Main sights

Salamanca is considered one of the most spectacular Renaissance cities in Europe.

Through the centuries the sandstone buildings have gained an exquisite golden glow that has given Salamanca the nickname 'La Ciudad Dorada', or the 'Golden City'. This golden glow is unique in Spain and is due to the 'Villamayor Stone', a type of sandstone coming from a quarry situated in Villamayor, a village close to Salamanca.

The Plaza Mayor is the central square in the city and is known as the 'living room' of the 'Salmantinos' (Salamancans). It was constructed by Andrés García de Quiñones at the beginning of the 18th century. The Plaza has a capacity of 20,000 people and is surrounded by shaded arcades. The Plaza was originally a venue for bullfights but is currently used primarily for concerts. The Plaza is regarded as one of the finest squares in Europe.

Next to the Plaza (Main Square) is the Central Market of Salamanca with typical fresh products of Spain. Read more...

Send me your postcard

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