MONTERREY VIEWPOINT

Located in Monterrey Square, a few meters from Salamanca's Plaza Mayor, it stands as one of the great references of the Plateresque style and one of the most representative constructions of the Spanish Renaissance. Its construction began in 1539 under the direction of Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, commissioned by Don Alonso de Zúñiga y Acevedo, 3rd Count of Monterrey.

In the late 17th century, the palace became part of the heritage of the House of Alba. The elegant Plateresque decoration that adorns its towers —with coats of arms, medallions, and grotesques— along with the gallery and the openwork cresting that crowns the building endow the building with extraordinary beauty and visual impact.

Inside, valuable art collections are preserved, with works by masters such as José de Ribera or Claudio Coello. In 2018, the building opened its doors to the public, becoming a prominent tourist attraction in the city, and in 2025 it was integrated into the Salamanca Viewpoints Route.

The tower of Monterrey Palace stands as an authentic watchtower over Salamanca and constitutes one of the city's most recognizable symbols. Its silhouette, present on the urban horizon for almost five centuries, is integrated into the monumental complex that gives Salamanca its unique character.

From this tower, some of the most prominent elements of the palace can be appreciated: the crests, true filigrees carved in stone, and the chimneys, adorned with the coats of arms of the House of Monterrey supported by fantastic figures and beings. Contemplating these details up close is a privilege, as only at this distance is all their ornamental richness revealed.

The viewpoint also offers unparalleled views of the historic city. Towards the Plaza de las Agustinas, one can distinguish the Convent of Las Agustinas and the Church of La Purísima, conceived in the 17th century as a funerary chapel by the 6th Count of Monterrey. Behind them stands the imposing old Royal College of the Society of Jesus, today the Pontifical University, and to its left, the tower of the Church of San Benito, also linked to the Fonseca family. Even the Cathedral can be shyly seen, with a flying buttress and a fragment of a tower peeking out in the distance.

The Plaza de Monterrey opens at the foot of the tower, presided over by the sculpture that the city dedicated to Prince Juan, the only male child of the Catholic Monarchs, on the occasion of the fifth centenary of his death. The piece, created by the sculptor Agustín Casillas, is inspired by the figure of the celebrated Doncel de Sigüenza.

To the north rises the Gothic apse of the Convent of the Annunciation, popularly known as Las Úrsulas. From this point, one can also distinguish the house where Don Miguel de Unamuno lived his last years and where he passed away, and from whose balcony he contemplated, with profound admiration, the silhouette of the Monterrey tower. Captivated by its presence, the writer drew it and dedicated a poem to it, whose first stanza evokes the powerful symbolic charge of this singular construction.

Monterrey Tower, square tower, that watches men and days parade, you speak to me of the past and the future Renaissance.