The Plaza Mayor (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

''Main

Plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

'') in

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 , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

is a large

plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

located in the center of Salamanca, used as a

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

.Travelling guide info
/ref> It was built in the traditional Spanish baroque style and is a popular gathering area.
/ref> It is lined by restaurants, ice cream parlors, tourist shops, jewelry stores and a

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

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. 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.

History

Construction of the plaza began in 1729 and was completed in 1755.

Felipe V Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mona ...

ordered the construction of the plaza to be used for bullfighting and was designed by the

Churriguera The Churriguera family consisted of at least two generations of Spanish sculptors and architects, originally from Barcelona, but who had their greatest impact in Salamanca. The highly decorated Churrigueresque Churrigueresque (; Spanish: ''Churr ...

family in sandstone. It had been used for bullfighting up until the mid-19th century, one hundred years after being completed. 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.La Plaza Mayor de Salamanca en el punto de mira
/ref> Finally, Andrés Garcia de Quiñones built the City Hall.

World heritage site

In 1988,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

declared the old city of Salamanca a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. 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.study languages.org/Salamanca
/ref>

Design

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 A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...

.Rutas por Salamanca
/ref> The plaza also has 247 balconies of which now belong to private residents. 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. 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. Size, the square is approximately 70m X 70m.

Movie location

Vantage Point Vantage Point (formerly Archway Tower) is a 195-foot (59m) 17-storey residential apartment building above Archway Underground station, designed by Grid Architects, and owned and operated by Essential Living. History Archway Tower was built ...

References

External links

Salamanca Plaza Mayor information

"La Plaza Mayor de Salamanca en el punto de mira"
report by th
Citizens' Association Defense Heritage
(Spanish) {{Coord, 40, 57, 54, N, 5, 39, 51, W, region:ES_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Architecture in Spain Buildings and structures in Salamanca Baroque architecture in Castile and León Plazas in Spain