The oldest university in Spain was once the greatest in Europe. No other university in Spain has such a grand entrance. A work from 1534, the entryway is a splendid piece of sculpture, intricate in its detail. It is said the architects carved this "doorway to heaven" as if they were aping a goldsmith's art. The main medallion in the first register depicts the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, who supplied the cost of creating this work of art. Other medallions depict everybody from Venus and Hercules to popes with cardinals. You can visit a dim 16th-century classroom, cluttered with crude wooden benches. The library upstairs can't be entered, but can be viewed through a glass door, and it's an impressive sight. The university is 2 blocks from the cathedral in the southern section of the old town.

Open Hours

Mon-Sat 9:30am-1pm and 4-7:30pm; Sun 9am-1pm

Nearest station

Bus: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9

Neighbourhood

Barrio Antiguo

Prices Admission

(historic building and museum): 300 ptas (EUR 1.80); pensioners, students and groups: 150 ptas (EUR 0.90). Free for students studying in Salamanca.

Email: gabinete@gugu.usal.es

Website: http://www.usal.es/