University of Salamanca

University Information, Campus and History
(Salamanca, Spain)

The University of Salamanca is a university located in Salamanca, Spain, just west of the capital Madrid. It is the oldest existing university in Spain (the University of Palencia, founded six years earlier, closed down in 1990) and one of the oldest in the world. It is one of the four Great Universities in the world, along with the Universities of Bologna, Paris, and Oxford.

The University was founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX to provide education to people outside the town of Castile. It was run and financed by royal and papal concessions throughout the Middle Ages until the 1869, when the Salamanca town council took the faculties of Medicine and Science under its wing. It was named a Great University in 1254, and was consequently given more privileges and administrative and academic independence.

Today, the University of Salamanca is home to over 30,000 students and offers over 250 degree programmes. Eighteen of the programmes are offered exclusively by the University and attract hundreds of international students every year.

Facilities

The University Library is one of the premier libraries in Spain, as well as the most attractive. The main library is located at the University's historic centre and contains over 160,000 volumes. It particularly known for its rare ancient volumes, including manuscripts dating as far back as the 11th century.

The University also has excellent sport facilities. There are two major sport complexes in the campus, the Polideportivo Universitario and the Complejo Deportivo Salas Bajas. Both offer facilities for a wide range of indoor and outdoor sports, such as tennis, football, badminton, and volleyball courts, dance and exercise studios, and track ovals.

Famous Students

Many students and scholars from the University of Salamanca have become prominent in their respective fields and played important roles in Sapin's history and development. These include lyric poet Fray Luis Ponce de Leon, Saint John of the Cross, Don Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador, and former minister Jules Cardinal Mazarin. The branch of philosophy known as the School of Salamanca, df, was founded by theology professor Francisco de Vitoria.

Contact University of Salamanca:
Address: Patio de Escuelas 1, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Tel: +34 923 294 400 Fax: +34 923 294 502 Email: informacion@usal.es Website: http://www.usal.es