The Café Novelty (''Coffeehouse Novelty'') is the oldest
café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non ...
in the city of
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
(Spain), which was founded in 1905 and is situated in the main
square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
of the city,
Plaza Mayor de Salamanca
The Plaza Mayor (English ''Main Plaza'') in Salamanca, Spain is a large plaza located in the center of Salamanca, used as a public square. It was built in the traditional Spanish baroque style and is a popular gathering area. It is lined by restau ...
. Its first owners were the García brothers. From the beginning of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
to 1964 it was named Café Nacional. It was 4 times bigger than it is nowadays and it very soon became a favorite meeting place for writers, artists and politicians, due to its privileged position in the city.
The most outstanding patrons of the Café Novelty are
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca.
His major philosophical essa ...
, the Spanish philosopher that organized the literary social gathering (tertulia),
Ortega y Gasset
Ortega is a Spanish surname. A baptismal record in 1570 records a ''de Ortega'' "from the village of Ortega". There were several villages of this name in Spain. The toponym derives from Latin ''urtica'', meaning "nettle".
Some of the Ortega spel ...
Juan Benet
Juan Benet (7 October 1927 – 5 January 1993) was a Spanish novelist, dramatist and essayist who also worked as a civil engineer.
Early life
Benet was born in Madrid. At the start of the Spanish Civil War, his father was killed, and he left for ...
Francisco Umbral
Francisco Alejandro Pérez Martínez (11 May 1932 – 28 August 2007), better known as Francisco Umbral, was a Spanish journalist, novelist, biographer and essayist.
Style
Although he was born in Madrid, a city that has inspired most of his wor ...
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (13 June 1910 – 27 January 1999) was a Spanish writer associated with the Generation of '36 movement.
Life
He was born in Serantes, Ferrol, Galicia, and received his first education there, subsequently attend ...
and
Víctor García de la Concha
Víctor García de la Concha (born 2 January 1934, Villaviciosa, Asturias)
At its tables, in 1923,
Dionisio Ridruejo
Dionisio Ridruejo Jiménez (12 October 1912 – 29 June 1975) was a Spanish poet and political figure associated with the Generation of '36 movement and a member of the Falange political party. He was co-author of the words to the Falangist anthe ...
Its first owners were Vicente and Federico García Martín. The interior of the Café occupied a space 4 times bigger than it has today. It had billiard tables, a restaurant, and a dance pavilion with colored
atrium
Atrium may refer to:
Anatomy
* Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart
* Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods
* Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain
* Pulmona ...
.
One enters the salons of the Café through a revolving brass door that exemplifies the chic detail of the interior.
To the right of the entrance usually united merchants, stock-breeders, manufacturers and rightists participate in the daily
tertulia
A tertulia (, ; pt, tertúlia ; ca, tertúlia ) is a social gathering with literary or artistic overtones, especially in Iberian Peninsula, Iberia or in Spanish America. Tertulia also means an informal meeting of people to talk about current affa ...
, and to the left, liberals,
medic
A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder.
Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgra ...
s, lawyers and professors of the university etc. take seat.
In the round salon with glass colored ceiling once played an orchestra and there were organized many luxurious weddings, and visitors liked to dance there.
At the table of Café Novelty, in 1923, was signed the resolution of foundation of Football Club of Salamanca.
Up until the
Spanish civil war
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
Café Novelty had a luxury, splendid life and proof of the special role of the Café at that time was an incognito dinner organized for the Spanish king,
Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...
.
During the Spanish Civil war the clientele of Café were divided, as was the country.
Some people such as Gil Robles were in exile, others such as
Maurin Maurin is a surname, and may refer to:
* Antoine Maurin (1771–1830), French cavalry commander.
* Antoine Maurin (1793–1860), French lithographer.
* Charles Maurin (1856–1914), French painter, engraver, and an anarchist.
* Eva Maurin (1993), ...
were executed by shooting.
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca.
His major philosophical essa ...
, who used to visit the terrace of Café, took shelter in street of Bordadores and died some months later.
But the main contingent of visitors rose in joining the "band" of
General Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...
, as did the rest of the city
The intellectual section of this "band" was often made the centre of promotion and publication in Café Novelty after the new government was placed in Salamanca. The name was changed to Café National until 1964. Laín Entralgo,
Dionisio Ridruejo
Dionisio Ridruejo Jiménez (12 October 1912 – 29 June 1975) was a Spanish poet and political figure associated with the Generation of '36 movement and a member of the Falange political party. He was co-author of the words to the Falangist anthe ...
During some years in the 1950s–1960s, the owner of the café was D. Aureliano, an elegant merchant that had suspicious business in
Tanger
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the ca ...
. He sold the café to D. Agustin Dominguez, the grandfather of the present owners. During the epoch of decadence in 1963 the restaurant was closed and the famous wine depository (bodega) was shut down. In 1964 the son of Agustin Francisco began to manage the café, renovated it in the style of the epoch and gave back the original name, which has not changed since.
In the beginning of the 1970s it was repaired again and decorated with corner sofas. The café turned into a centre of political secrecy, often opposed to the ideology of Franco, and in its remote salons were held reunions to write manifestos and to hide duplicating machines. In 1978 the city hall of Salamanca, which was the owner of the real estate, proposed the necessity of confiscation of certain premises, and after the trial on 1 April, the café was closed. But after difficult negotiations and the gift of a one-third part of the building to the city hall (which was used for its offices) the café was once again opened in 1979 and redecorated by Salvador Yáñez.
From the 1980s
From the 1980s until now it recovered its bygone splendor as has the
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is t ...
and the city. The 25 years that
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (13 June 1910 – 27 January 1999) was a Spanish writer associated with the Generation of '36 movement.
Life
He was born in Serantes, Ferrol, Galicia, and received his first education there, subsequently attend ...
enjoyed in the city and frequenting the café, helped to return the real position of Café Novelty to a position of meaningful influence in the cultural life. The trace of the writer in Café was so significant that in 2000 one monument was inaugurated in memory of the Spanish professor and author. It is a statue sited in his favorite corner of Café made by one friend of the writer' sculptor Fernando Mayoral. At the present time it has privileged position in the city and still is being the favorite place of meeting of artists, writers, politicians and businessmen. One of the frequenters is the president of the Royal Spanish AcademyVictor Garcia de la Concha, the
basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
Juan Marsé
Juan Marsé Carbó (8 January 1933 – 18 July 2020) was a Spanish novelist, journalist, and screenwriter who used Spanish as his literary language. In 2008, he was awarded the Cervantes Prize, "the Spanish-language equivalent" to the Nobel ...
Ortega y Gasset
Ortega is a Spanish surname. A baptismal record in 1570 records a ''de Ortega'' "from the village of Ortega". There were several villages of this name in Spain. The toponym derives from Latin ''urtica'', meaning "nettle".
Some of the Ortega spel ...
came separately to persuade
Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca.
His major philosophical essa ...
Antonio Colinas
Antonio Colinas Lobato is a Spanish writer (poet, novelist, journalist, translator, essayist) and intellectual who was born in La Bañeza, León, Spain on January 30, 1946. He has published a variety of works, but is considered to be above all ...
.
*
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (13 June 1910 – 27 January 1999) was a Spanish writer associated with the Generation of '36 movement.
Life
He was born in Serantes, Ferrol, Galicia, and received his first education there, subsequently attend ...
,
Vargas Llosa
Vargas Llosa is the surname of two prominent Peruvian intellectuals who are father and son.
*Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), ...
,
Francisco Umbral
Francisco Alejandro Pérez Martínez (11 May 1932 – 28 August 2007), better known as Francisco Umbral, was a Spanish journalist, novelist, biographer and essayist.
Style
Although he was born in Madrid, a city that has inspired most of his wor ...
, and
Juan Benet
Juan Benet (7 October 1927 – 5 January 1993) was a Spanish novelist, dramatist and essayist who also worked as a civil engineer.
Early life
Benet was born in Madrid. At the start of the Spanish Civil War, his father was killed, and he left for ...
*In the 50s a banquet was held in honour of Francisco Franco when the
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is t ...
awarded him an honorary degree.
*The President of the United States of America –
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
.
*The
President of France
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
Jacques Delors
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (born 20 July 1925) is a French politician who served as the 8th President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. He served as Minister of the Economy, Finances and Industry (France), Minister of Finance of Fran ...
.
*Spanish politics: During the Spanish transition to democracy
Santiago Carrillo
Santiago José Carrillo Solares (18 January 1915 – 18 September 2012) was a Spanish politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. His role in the Paracuellos massacres during the Civil ...
organized political meetings in the city. The
Prime Minister of Spain
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of Spain, Constitution of 1978 a ...
Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy Brey (; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a vote of no confidence ousted his government. On 5 June 2018, he announced his resignation as People's Party lead ...
and
Rodrigo Rato
Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo (born 18 March 1949) is a Spanish politician who served in the Council of Ministers from 1996 to 2004. He also served as the ninth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2004 to 2007 and the p ...
.
Gallery
Image:Escultura Torrente Ballester Fernando Mayoral.jpg, Fernando Mayoral with his sculpture in honor of
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (13 June 1910 – 27 January 1999) was a Spanish writer associated with the Generation of '36 movement.
Life
He was born in Serantes, Ferrol, Galicia, and received his first education there, subsequently attend ...
.
Image:Centenario Café Novelty Salamanca 2005.jpg, The party of centenary of Café Novelty.
Image:Víctor_García_de_la_Concha_Café_Novelty_Salamanca_1995.jpg,
Víctor García de la Concha
Víctor García de la Concha (born 2 January 1934, Villaviciosa, Asturias)Manuel Fernández Álvarez
Manuel Fernández Álvarez (7 November 1921 – 19 April 2010) was a Spanish historian, academic and writer.
Biography
He was the son of Enrique Fernández and María Álvarez.
In 1942 he graduated in Philosophy at the University of Vallado ...
and Paco Novelty.
Image:Plaza Mayor de Salamanca Ayuntamiento Café Novelty.JPG, The city hall of
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
near to the terrace of café.
References
Publications
* Grande del Brío, Ramón (), ''Un día en el Café Novelty '', Librería Cervantes (Salamanca).
* Jesús Formigo, Pedro Ladoire, Paco Novelty y Francisco Castaño. (1999), "Café Novelty", Ediciones Café Novelty.