Plaza Mayor, Salamanca

Last updated
The front of the plaza, showing the clock tower in the background and social gatherings in the front Plaza Mayor, Salamanca.JPG
The front of the plaza, showing the clock tower in the background and social gatherings in the front

The Plaza Mayor (English Main Plaza ) is a large plaza located in the center of Salamanca, Spain used as a public square. [1] It was built in the traditional Spanish baroque style and is a popular gathering area. [2] It is lined by restaurants, ice cream parlors, tourist shops, jewelry stores and a pharmacy along its perimeter except in front of the city hall. It is considered the heart of Salamanca and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful plazas in Spain. [2] [3] [4] It is connected to the shopping area Calle del Toro from the northeast, Calle de Zamora from the north, the restaurants on Calle de Concejo from the northwest, Calle del Prior and the small Calle de la Caja de Ahorros from the west as well as Plaza del Corrillo from the south.

Contents

History

The entrance to the Cafe Novelty, founded in 1905, from the Plaza Mayor. Cafe literario Novelty Plaza Mayor Salamanca2.JPG
The entrance to the Café Novelty, founded in 1905, from the Plaza Mayor.

Construction of the plaza began in 1729 and was completed in 1755. [5] Felipe V ordered the construction of the plaza to be used for bullfighting and was designed by the Churriguera family in sandstone. It had been used for bullfighting up until the mid-19th century, one hundred years after being completed. [1] [6] The construction took place in two phases: the first was between 1729 and 1735 and the second was between 1750 and 1755. The first phase was built under the direction of Alberto Churriguera while the second phase was built under the direction of Manuel de Larra Churriguera, his nephew. [7] Finally, Andrés Garcia de Quiñones built the City Hall.

World heritage site

Plaque in the center of the plaza, which says Twentieth anniversary [of] Salamanca patrimony of humanity 1988-2008. Center of the plaza mayor salamanca.JPG
Plaque in the center of the plaza, which says Twentieth anniversary [of] Salamanca patrimony of humanity 1988-2008.

In 1988, UNESCO declared the old city of Salamanca a World Heritage Site. Today, there is a plaque placed in the center of the plaza marking its significance to boast the plaza's baroque-style beauty. Salamanca is known as La Dorada, "The Golden City" because of the glow of its sandstone buildings, which the Plaza Mayor represents at its core. [8]

Design

Model showing the 2 towers never completed MaquetaAytoSalamanca.jpg
Model showing the 2 towers never completed

The plaza is an irregular square and none of its facades measure the same height. The plaza's walls have three floors above its ground terrace level except for the main facade portion. The plaza has 6 entrances leading to different streets from opposite areas of the plaza and features a clock (El Reloj) tower and 5 larger facade entrances on only 2 floors on the frontal area under the clock. It features 88 arches raised on stout pillars and is decorated medallions on its many spandrels. [3] The plaza also has 247 balconies of which now belong to private residents. [7]

The plaza was originally designed to have 2 towers on each side of the clock, but were never completed based on fears that the portion would not be able to support the weight and thus the 1745 plan was used instead. [7] The city hall is also located on this side of the plaza, also built in the baroque style with 5 granite arches and a steeple. [2] Size, the square is approximately 70m X 70m.

Movie location

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuenca, Spain</span> Municipality in Castile–La Mancha, Spain

Cuenca is a city and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. It is the capital of the province of Cuenca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcos de la Frontera</span> Municipality in Andalusia, Spain

Arcos de la Frontera is a town and municipality in the Sierra de Cádiz comarca, province of Cádiz, in Andalusia, Spain. It is located on the northern, western and southern banks of the Guadalete river, which flows around three sides of the city under towering vertical cliffs, to Jerez and on to the Bay of Cádiz. The town commands a fine vista atop a sandstone ridge, from which the peak of San Cristóbal and the Guadalete Valley can be seen. The town gained its name by being the frontier of Spain's 13th-century battle with the Moors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labastida</span> Municipality in Basque Country, Spain

Labastida in Spanish or Bastida in Basque is a town and municipality of the Rioja Alavesa, in the province of Álava in the Basque Country, northern Spain. It is located between the River Ebro and the Sierra de Toloño mountain range, 4 km east of the city of Haro and 30 km south of the Basque capital Vitoria-Gasteiz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Cathedral of Salamanca</span> Cathedral of Salamanca, Spain

The Catedral de la Asunción de la Virgen, popularly known as New Cathedral is, together with the Old Cathedral, one of the two cathedrals of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. It is the seat of the diocese of Salamanca. It was constructed between 1533 and 1733 mixing late Gothic, Plateresque and Baroque styles. It was commissioned by Ferdinand V of Castile. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Spain in size and its bell tower, at 92 meters high, is also one of the tallest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churrigueresque</span> Baroque architecture style in Spain

Churrigueresque, also but less commonly "Ultra Baroque", refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th century and was used until about 1750, marked by extreme, expressive and florid decorative detailing, normally found above the entrance on the main façade of a building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maestranza (Seville)</span>

The plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla is a 12,000-capacity bullring in Seville, Spain. During the annual Seville Fair in Seville, it is the site of one of the most well-known bullfighting festivals in the world. It is a part of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla, a noble guild established for traditional cavalry training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Baroque architecture</span> Architecture of the Baroque era in Spain and its former colonies

Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain, its provinces, and former colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Madrid de los Austrias</span>

El Madrid de los Austrias is a name used for the old centre of Madrid, built during the reign of the Habsburg Dynasty (1516–1700), known in Spain as Casa de Austria. The area is located south of the Calle Mayor, in between the Metro stations Sol and Ópera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventura Rodríguez</span> Spanish architect and artist

Ventura Rodríguez Tizón was a Spanish architect and artist. Born at Ciempozuelos, Rodríguez was the son of a bricklayer. In 1727, he collaborated with his father in the work at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Mayor, Valladolid</span>

The Plaza Mayor is a central plaza in the city of Valladolid, Spain. It is located only a few blocks away from another famous plaza, the Plaza Zorrilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponce City Hall</span> Historic government building in Puerto Rico

The Ponce City Hall is a historic city hall in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is located it the center of the city, on Calle Degetau, across from Plaza Degetau in the Ponce Historic Zone. The building serves as the seat of the executive branch of government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, including the office of the Mayor of Ponce. Built in 1840, it is the oldest colonial building in the city. The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as Casa Alcaldía de Ponce-City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salamanca</span> Municipality in Castile and León, Spain

Salamanca is a municipality and city in Spain, capital of the province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the Meseta Norte, in the northwestern quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a population of 144,436 registered inhabitants. Its stable functional area reaches 203,999 citizens, which makes it the second most populated in the autonomous community, after Valladolid. Salamanca is known for its large number of remarkable Plateresque-style buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convento de San Esteban, Salamanca</span> Monastery in Salamanca, Spain

The Convento de San Esteban is a Dominican monastery of Plateresque style, situated in the Plaza del Concilio de Trento in Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza del Mercado de Ponce</span> Historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Plaza del Mercado de Ponce or, formally, Plaza del Mercado Isabel Segunda, is a historic marketplace building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was inaugurated in 1863 by Ponce Mayor Don Luis de Quixano. Designed by famed engineer Timoteo Luberza, it occupies a city block in the Ponce Historic Zone at the grid formed by Calle Atocha, Estrella, Leon, and Castillo streets. It has room for 65 kiosks. It was originally called Plaza del Capá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museo de la Arquitectura Ponceña</span> Museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico

The Museo de la Arquitectura Ponceña is an architecture museum housed at the Casa Wiechers-Villaronga, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is preserves the history of the architectural styles of Ponce and Puerto Rico. The Casa Wiechers-Villaronga was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. The museum is located in the Ponce Historic Zone. The historic house was designed and built in 1912 by Alfredo B. Wiechers. The house that is home to this architecture museum is itself an example of the architectural history of the city. The museum is housed at the historic Casa Wiechers-Villaronga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Week in Salamanca</span>

Holy Week in Salamanca is the most important religious event of Salamanca, Spain. It is celebrated in the week leading up to Easter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convento de Santo Tomás (Madrid)</span> Set of buildings in Madrid, Spain

The defunct Convento de Santo Tomás was a set of buildings belonging to the Dominicans, under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas, in Madrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Town of Cáceres</span> Neighbourhood in Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain

Old Town of Cáceres is a historic walled city in Cáceres, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza de Teucro</span> Picturesque medieval square in Pontevedra, Spain

The Plaza de Teucro is a square of medieval origin located in the heart of the old town of Pontevedra (Spain). It is the most harmoniously proportioned medieval square in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Baroque ephemeral architecture</span>

Ephemeral architecture had a special relevance in the Spanish Baroque, as it fulfilled diverse aesthetic, political, religious and social functions. On the one hand, it was an indispensable component of support for architectural achievements, carried out in a perishable and transitory way, which allowed a cheapening of materials and a way to capture new designs and more daring and original solutions of the new Baroque style, which could not be done in conventional constructions. On the other hand, its volubility made possible the creation of a wide range of productions designed according to their diverse functionality: triumphal arches for the reception of kings and aristocratic personages, catafalques for religious ceremonies, burial mounds for funerary ceremonies and diverse scenarios for social or religious events, such as the feast of Corpus Christi or Holy Week.

References

40°57′54″N5°39′51″W / 40.96500°N 5.66417°W / 40.96500; -5.66417

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.