La Plaza Mayor
Center of the city
Salamanca, Spain
Submitted by: Jessica Hauser
A beloved public square that is bustling with life at almost every hour of the day and night.
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Why It Works
The Plaza is a large open space carved out in the center of the old part of the city. Along its perimeter are shops, cafes, bars and restaurants with outside terraces for eating and drinking. There is an overhang that shelters the walk space, but this is opened to the rest of the square by arches. The plaza is four stories high on all sides, and the second through fourth floors are typically occupied by additional retail or restaurant space, residential uses, some office space and a youth hostel. Backless benches are located around the square as well.
What Makes La Plaza Mayor a Great Place?
Everyone uses the Plaza in Salamanca. It is a pedestrian-only zone, except for some periods early in the morning (for deliveries and such) and conveniently accessed by foot. All of the streets that lead to it (they branch out from it on all sides) are also pedestrian-only, but there are more minor streets off of those that are accessible by car. Many people who live in the outskirts of the city will utilize them or go home by taxi thanks to the convenient taxi stop located just off the square. Many people will orient themselves to where they are in the city as a whole by locating the Plaza.
The square is bustling with life at almost every hour of the day and night. It is a beautiful place and therefore inviting. The most popular meeting spot in Salamanca is "Debajo del reloj" (under the clock) located at one end of the square because it is probably convenient to wherever one is going to go. People can choose to sit on the benches or in the terrace cafes, although this requires buying a coffee or beer, or even on the ground. Many groups of young people congregate and sit on the cobblestones to wait or engage in conversation. The Plaza is cleaned every night by the city but very little litter is left during the day.
People come to the Plaza to shop, eat, drink, meet people, socialize, people watch, study (Salamanca is Spain's "college town"), take a stroll and many other reasons. At night, often a roving tuna (a group of minstrels from the University who dress in centuries old garb) will appear, or other spontaneous forms of entertainment will appear. A Flamenco troupe that involves local passers-by is not unusual, for example.
People come here to be social. Many people meet friends here but it is not unusual to strike up a conversation with a stranger either. Locals and tourists use it alike. As it is a student-oriented city, they are a large user of the space. During the academic year they are Spanish, and during the summers the students have a more international flavor. The plaza is used well into the wee hours of the morning. I spent a night (from 1AM to 6AM or so) watching the comings and goings while talking to a friend in the square from a balcony overlooking it and not once did I see it deserted. I have seen it at almost every other time of day as well and there are always people there. It is so beloved that there is a mini replica of the Plaza located in a local bar, Cum Laude, in the hopes that it will be as popular and visited as the original.
User Comments:
- 10/16/04 Steve Cook said:
- My personal test for the validity of your list was whether the Plaza Mayor was on it. Congratulations, you passed the test! This is definitely one of the world's great public spaces. It's truly the outside "living room" of this city. I lived in Salamanca for three months in 1977, and the Plaza Mayor was the center of the city's life. What a wonderfully harmonious, inviting and functional space! I would walk through the Plaza Mayor several times a day, meet friends there for a drink and conversation, and every evening after supper (11 p.m.) I would "dar una vuelta por la Plaza Mayor" (go for a spin through the Plaza Mayor) where I inevitably met people I knew. The dimensions of the space have a lot to do with its success. It is spacious and yet comfortably enclosed. It is public, but in a way intimate. The surrounding buildings are high enough to make it a sort of room, and yet low enough to admit light and to show off the sky. Walkers circumnavigate the Plaza itself by strolling the beautiful covered arcade, which serves as a public space in its own right.
- 09/13/06 Andy Slettebak said:
- This was also my litmus test. I would only add that the sound of Plaza Mayor is unlike any other place I have been. A quiet roar that brings peace to me, strictly composed of human voices.
- 10/28/09 Gabrielle Woods said:
- I spent my junior year of college attending la Universidad de Salamanca. La Plaza Major was the center of the social life of the international crowd I ran with. I am trying (unsuccessfully) to remember the name of the nightclub we went to after making the rounds of the tapas bars in the plaza and the surrounding neighborhoods. (I remembered - Scorpio's tre 70's. But GOOD TIMES were had by all!) Salamanca is (or was at least) a very pedestrian oriented city with surprisingly good public transportation as well. I shared an exquisite penthouse apartment near the university the year but we were able to get everywhere by foot. After my roomies left at the end of the academic year, I rented an apartment for a few months across the street from the train station. It was a community with a much differenct feel than the older center of town but was an up an coming neighborhood. I would love to see it now. I haven't been back in 33 years and am planning to take my college junior daughter this summer to show her where her mother got her first taste of the world. One of the best years of my life. One of the best places in the world.
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