Salamanca university The University of Salamanca is the oldest in Spain, and few years younger to those of Bologna and Paris. Its origin dates to 1218, on which Alfonso IX founded the General Study. In its first centuries of existence obtained prestige throughout the world, elbowing itself with the universities of Paris, Oxford or Cambridge. An example about its importance is the famous phrase that has its origins in this institution: "Quod natura non dat Salmantica non praestat" ("what nature does not give, Salamanca does not lend"). In addition, Salamanca was the university model that took Hispanic America at the colonization time. The university was the one in charge to promote and to maintain the name of Salamanca. Even nowadays, it is the university, with its numerous students who inhabit it, which maintains the spirit of the city. For that, this temple of the knowledge is another reason to contract Spanish courses in Salamanca. The institution enjoys special prestige in humanist studies and, outside spanish borders, their international summer courses attract multitudes of foreigners, who contribute as a great source of wealth for the city. University of Salamanca is outstanding by its importance in the world of Spanish Literature: Fray Luis de Leon, Elio Antonio de Nebrija, Francisco de Vitoria, Miguel de Cervantes, San Juan de la Cruz, Miguel de Unamuno or Gonzalo Torrente Ballester studied or worked there. During almost eight centuries, University of Salamanca has taught Spanish to promote the cultural and economic interests of Spain. This will be more and more important in the new millenium. In a global economy interconnected thanks to Internet, Spanish courses in Salamanca will become more necessary to develop. Monuments in Salamanca - What to see The Cathedral At the end of 15th century, when the gothic style decay and appear the Renaissance one, arises the plateresque as a symbiosis between both of them. The new cathedral of Salamanca is a great representative work of this style. Name of "new" comes because, unlike which it used to happen at that time when the construction of a new building entailed demolishing the previous one, in this case was not made thus and "old" cathedral coexist to the side of the New. Tower of the Rooster is representative of the old Romanesque cathedral. In his rich interior, is admired, to a side, the Golden Chapel with valuable sculptures and outside, the "Patio Chico", where the union of the two cathedrals can be appreciated. From here, a small alley, the Calderon street, unites the Cathedral with university zone. The University Although the primitive university were erected by Alfonso IX almost at the same time with the ones of Paris and Bologna, the impressive facade which can be contemplated, a truly plateresque jewel, was erected by the Catholic Kings. For that reason the kings signature esculpture with Greek inscriptions is seen in the central medallion of the facade "kings by the University and Universidad by the Kings". And this is not the unique thing that will make us stop to contemplate the cover, since in its profuse reliefs of the time of Carlos V a frog is on the head of a skull. According to the tradition, the student who sees the frog will have luck in the examinations. A good number of students and tourists will spend great time in the door to find the frog. In the center of the plaza outside the University facade, it is the Statue of Fray Luis of Leon, the professor poet and, in the interior, the room where he gave classes, as intact it even conserves the most interesting furniture of the time and the commemorative inscription of "As we said yesterday...", that he pronounced the first day in which he gave classes after years in jail condemned by the Inquisition. Also can be visited the classroom where Unamuno taught classes and the immense library that reunites 160,000 old volumes, many of them of inestimable value. One of the University buildings is "Patio de escuelas", a gorgeous Renaissance courtyard with the typical salmantine arches. There we can admire the painting mural of the sky of Salamanca. Anaya palace constructed in 18th century in neoclassic style, is one of "monuments of the knowledge" that the different religious orders created like faculties or superior schools. House of the Shells is a symbolic monument of Salamanca and the more representative civil monument of the isabeline Renaissance. Constructed in 15th century, it stands out by its singular facade, covered with shells because of the jacobean "silver way". Clerecia, this baroque monumental building was erected by the Jesuits in 18th century. It has a church equipped with a great cupola and altarpieces covered with gold in jesuitic style. It distributes itself through a set of interesting architectonic structures that finish in a gorgeous patio. Plaza Mayor. When arriving at Salamanca we must inmediatly go to the Plaza Mayor, for many the most beautiful of Spain even the world. Of barroque influence, its construction begun in 1729 and finalized in 1788. Its magnificency is due to the art of Churriguera. He created this splendid architectonic space for urban and daily use. From here, heart of the salmantine people day and night, we can be taken a pause and then continue entering the Prior street, where we will arrive at another architectonic set of great interest with jewels like Purisima Church, the Convent of Santa Ursula, the Church of the Capuchinos in the neighboring Ramon and Cajal street and the Archbishop of Fonseca or Irish School, just alongside, built in the 16th century, with one of most beautiful courtyards of the Spanish Renaissance, and the altarpiece of its Church, work of Berruguete. The convents Closely together to the Cathedral and following Gran Via street, we will arrive at a zone with a peculiar concentration of convents: The Dueùas Convent and Museum, a plateresque building whose construction was finalized in 16th century. It has an imposing cloister and a gorgeous patio. San Esteban Convent was constructed in 16th century by Juan de Álava, is also a masterpiece of the plateresque arquitecture