Salamanca: History

In 400 BC Salamanca was founded by Celtic tribes. The Romans then annexed the city as part of the Province of Lusitania and gave it the name "polis megale". Christianity arrived to the city some time before the year 600 and then the Moors conquered it some 120 years later. In the 12th century Salamanca was restored to the Christian monarchs and so began the re-population of what was to become the province of Salamanca.

At the beginning of the 13th century the University of Salamanca was founded. It was one of the first and most prestigious universities in Europe. Christopher Columbus came to the city under the protection of the Dominican Monks at the Monastery of San Esteban, in order to seek the endorsement of Queen Isabel the Catholic for his enterprise, which would eventually culminate in the Discovery of America. In those years towards the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th, Salamanca became a center of Catholic theology for the Counter Reformation as reflected in the Council of Trent.

The role that Salamanca played during the War of Independence (Peninsular War) is particularly interesting. Just outside Salamanca the Battle of Arapiles (otherwise known as the Battle of Salamanca) was fought. It ended in defeat for the French army and marked a turning point in Napoleon's occupation of Spain.

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th the University experienced a period of great decline, although one notable figure shines out in the form of the University's most illustrious Vice-Chancellor, and one of Spain's most influential writers, Miguel de Unamuno. The prestige of the University recovered little by little up until the 1960´s and has flourished since the establishment of democracy in Spain.

With the arrival of democracy and the restoration of the monarchy the city has been transformed both socially and politically by becoming a modern city without losing the spirit of history that it has inherited. Consequently it has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and has been honored with the role of European Capital of Culture for the year 2002.

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