The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca


Salamanca is an incredible city, full of culture, monuments, history ... Wander through its historic helmet It is an unforgettable experience, especially in spring. You admire palaces and historical buildings and, when you think you have seen everything, you suddenly come across the Main Square, a marvelous baroque style as there are few.

The people of Salamanca call it, as a family, “the square”. For them it is cozy and everyday. However, for the tourist it is one of the most beautiful and highlights of Spain. We tell you some curiosities about the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca.

Baroque jewel


It is a square of Baroque style, but it also has Herrerian and Renaissance influences. The shape of its plant is not square, but rather has the shape of trapeze. This is so because, when it was built, the expropriation of some of the existing buildings was not possible, forcing a gap of several meters in the measurements of the buildings that make up the compound.

The works began in 1729, under the guidelines of Alberto de Churriguera, and they started with Royal pavilion, to the east, and by the San Martin, to the south. When Churriguera died, in 1755, Andrés García de Quiñones took over, who closed the square with the flag of Petrineros, to the west, and the building of the town hall, to the north. This is the only one that is different, to note the preeminence of municipal power. The central arch of the Royal Pavilion is the most ornate in the square, while if you go out through the Arco del Toro (which overlooks the Plaza de Abastos) you will be able to observe the exterior facade from the Plaza Mayor, sober and demure.

With its 88 arches, 247 balconies, 9 doors and 2 passages, the Plaza Mayor is the aesthetic summit of the Baroque, the exaltation of the Castilian main squares. Today is a buzzing with activity, full of trendy bars, cafes and terraces where tourists mix with the people of Salamanca. In its surroundings the city holds incredible treasures, starting from the cathedral itself, the Plaza del Corrillo or the Romanesque church of San Martín.

Travel Salamanca, Spain - Plaza Mayor of Salamanca (February 2024)


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