University

FOUNDED IN 1218
Alfonso IX of León wished to have higher education in his kingdom and thus created the 'scholas Salamanticae' in 1218, the seed of the current University of Salamanca, which celebrates over 800 years of uninterrupted history, creating, promoting, and disseminating knowledge.

Alfonso IX was an enlightened man ahead of his time, not only for having created the University of Salamanca but also for other actions such as proposing the first 'Cortes' (parliaments) that allowed the participation of various sectors of the population in addition to the traditional nobles.

This first academic institution included, according to the decree of 1254, a master of laws, another of decrees, two of decretals, two of logic, two of grammar, two of physics or medicine, one of organ, an apothecary, a librarian, and two curators.

Thus, the University of Salamanca became, along with Paris, Oxford, and Bologna, one of the first European universities, and today it is the only Spanish one that has maintained its activity throughout the centuries.

From the 13th to the 20th Century
In 1218, King Alfonso IX of León founded the University of Salamanca, which is considered the oldest existing Hispanic university. In 1254, King Alfonso X established the organizational regulations and financial endowments, and in 1255, Alexander IV published the papal bulls recognizing the universal validity of the degrees it granted and bestowing upon it the privilege of having its own seal.

The University of Salamanca would experience an unprecedented period of expansion with the creation of the first American universities, which, starting in 1551, began to be founded following Salamanca's lead by using its foundational charters as a model. More than 70% of the universities created in the 16th and 17th centuries today consider the University of Salamanca their 'alma mater'. During this period, Salamanca's prestige attracted a confluence of students from across the Iberian Peninsula, and even from Europe and America.

Advancing through the centuries, it would be the Public Instruction Law of 1857 (Ley Moyano) that clarified the situation of the University of Salamanca and the general education system of the country within the new liberal and centralist regime. With it, the university was reduced to the faculties of Law, Theology (definitively abolished in 1868), and Philosophy and Letters. The traditional hegemonic role of the University of Salamanca, like that of the other "major" universities (Valladolid and Alcalá), shifted to Madrid as the central district. Just one year later, the Provincial Council and the City Council came to the institution's aid, financing the studies of Medicine and Sciences as 'free faculties'. In 1904, during Miguel de Unamuno's rectorship, state funding was secured.

In July 1943, within the framework of a new political organization, the University Organization Law (Ley de Ordenación Universitaria) was promulgated for all of Spain. Administrative rigidity, political control, and hierarchy were the norm. And within the framework of the accelerated social transformations of the sixties, the Villar Palasí Law (1970) granted universities a certain degree of autonomy in teaching and research matters.

The approval and publication in 1983 of the Organic Law of University Reform (LRU) put an end to the remnants of the 19th-century liberal model and ushered in a new era of broad university autonomy and rapid transformations in all areas. Later, the Organic Law on Universities (2001) would regulate its operations.

Regarding student numbers, the University has gone through different stages. By the end of the 14th century, the institution had just over 500 enrolled students, increasing in the following century to 2,500 and over 6,500 in the 1580s, then decreasing again in the 18th century to 2,000 students. By the mid-1980s, enrollment surpassed 20,000, and by the 1990s, the figure reached 30,000, remaining stable to the present day.

Art and Traditions
The University of Salamanca boasts a significant tangible heritage in the form of historic buildings and emblematic spaces that are still in active use and receive hundreds of visitors daily, either to appreciate their artistic or historical value, or to carry out academic activities within them.

Particularly noteworthy is the 'Edificio de Escuelas Mayores' (Main Schools Building) with its Plateresque façade, inside which is the General Historical Library, housing 2,774 manuscripts, 483 incunabula, and approximately 62,000 printed volumes from the 16th to 18th centuries. Also a must-see is the 'Patio de Escuelas Menores' (Lesser Schools Courtyard), which houses in one of its rooms the well-known painting 'Cielo de Salamanca' (Sky of Salamanca), a work attributed to Fernando Gallego depicting astronomical and astrological themes.

These are works of art and reflections of the institution's history. A history rich in traditions, notable among which are, for instance, the traditional 'honoris causa' doctorate investiture ceremonies with their traditional and colorful procession of robed academics, the celebration of the patron saint Saint Thomas, or the solemn opening ceremonies of the academic year where the rector reviews the main challenges the institution addresses each academic year.