SALMANTICA SEDES ANTIQUA CASTRORUM
45 minutes
Salmantica Sedes Antiqua Castrorum is the Interpretation Centre of Salamanca's walls. It is located on Carvajal Street, opposite the Cueva de Salamanca. It is an archaeological exhibition space with in-situ remains of two of the defensive enclosures the city once had. The interpretation of the space allows us to learn when they were built and what the walls that defended the city looked like throughout its almost three thousand years of history.
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Free visit price
- Individual - 0.00 €
Archaeological work carried out in 1999 brought to light the most extensive section known to date of the defensive enclosure from the Second Iron Age. An extensive sequence of occupation in this part of the city was also documented, dating from the 4th century BC well into the Roman period.
On the site, we can see the remains of two walls: the hillfort wall, built approximately 2400 years ago, and, adjacent to it, the medieval wall or 12th-century Cerca Vieja (Old Enclosure). The Cerca Vieja runs parallel to and partially overlaps the pre-Roman wall.
The hillfort settlement, located on the so-called Teso de las Catedrales, controlled the ford of the Tormes river, over which the Romans later built the Roman Bridge. The inhabitants of the hillfort built a monumental wall that defended the city between the 4th century BC and the Roman conquest. The sections discovered to date allow us to delimit its perimeter. It had a length of approximately 1.6 km and enclosed an area of 17 hectares. Its gates were defended with towers, and in the most accessible places, it was reinforced with a ditch excavated into the rock. Thirty-two meters of this defensive enclosure, running north-south, are preserved. The section we see from the interpretation centre corresponds to the inner face of the pre-Roman wall, as its outer face was hidden when the medieval wall was built over it in the 12th century. It was an imposing defence whose width varied between 3.5 and 7 meters.
The so-called Cerca Vieja has also been documented here, the wall built at the beginning of the 12th century when the kings of León repopulated the city. This new medieval wall followed practically the same course as the pre-Roman one in this area.
On the site, we can see the remains of two walls: the hillfort wall, built approximately 2400 years ago, and, adjacent to it, the medieval wall or 12th-century Cerca Vieja (Old Enclosure). The Cerca Vieja runs parallel to and partially overlaps the pre-Roman wall.
The hillfort settlement, located on the so-called Teso de las Catedrales, controlled the ford of the Tormes river, over which the Romans later built the Roman Bridge. The inhabitants of the hillfort built a monumental wall that defended the city between the 4th century BC and the Roman conquest. The sections discovered to date allow us to delimit its perimeter. It had a length of approximately 1.6 km and enclosed an area of 17 hectares. Its gates were defended with towers, and in the most accessible places, it was reinforced with a ditch excavated into the rock. Thirty-two meters of this defensive enclosure, running north-south, are preserved. The section we see from the interpretation centre corresponds to the inner face of the pre-Roman wall, as its outer face was hidden when the medieval wall was built over it in the 12th century. It was an imposing defence whose width varied between 3.5 and 7 meters.
The so-called Cerca Vieja has also been documented here, the wall built at the beginning of the 12th century when the kings of León repopulated the city. This new medieval wall followed practically the same course as the pre-Roman one in this area.
The tour is structured into four spaces where, through panels and interactive screens, we can learn about the construction stages of Salamanca's walls:
1.- Entrance Hall
The entrance hall is a viewpoint that allows us to contemplate the two walls discovered during the archaeological excavations carried out on this site in 1999: the pre-Roman hillfort wall and the Cerca Vieja or first medieval enclosure (12th century). A screen explains the remains discovered during the archaeological excavations at the site.
Here, several infographics illustrate the symbolic value of the walls and concisely show the successive defenses the city possessed throughout its long history.
2.- Wall Corridor
This passageway runs parallel to the pre-Roman wall. To our right, we can see 32 meters of the inner section of the hillfort wall, which runs north-south. It is built with irregular sandstone blocks, and the maximum preserved height is 2.90 m.
The display panels on the left wall inform visitors about the two settlements that existed on the site of ancient Salamanca during the first millennium BC: the settlement of Cerro de San Vicente, corresponding to the Soto de Medinilla Culture, and the pre-Roman hillfort located on Teso de las Catedrales from the 4th century BC onwards.
3.- Main Hall
The display panels show the evolution of the city and its walls from the medieval repopulation in the 12th century to the Napoleonic fortifications of the early 19th century.
A large panel recreates what the pre-Roman hillfort might have looked like when it was conquered by Hannibal in 220 BC, an episode recounted by the Greek historian Polybius, who tells us: "...and the following summer, moving again towards the Vacceos, attacking it on the march, he seized Helmantiké." With this quote, the first written reference to our city, Salamanca entered history.
The main hall features two interactive screens with explanations of each area.
• The first screen offers three virtual tours: ancient Salamanca, the Vía de la Plata, and the archaeological heritage along the banks of the Tormes.
• The second displays, through photos and videos, the fortifications of the province: pre-Roman, medieval, modern, and contemporary.
In this hall, some archaeological remains (circular mill, ashlar block, and Roman inscriptions) and replicas of Celtiberian pottery are exhibited.
4.- Don Gregorio Hotel Garden
The grille gate located immediately below the Interpretation Centre provides access to the garden of the Don Gregorio Hotel. From inside the garden, a well-preserved section of the outer face of the Cerca Vieja can be seen. This section is 32 meters long, with a quadrangular tower of about 5m in length protruding from its northern end.
1.- Entrance Hall
The entrance hall is a viewpoint that allows us to contemplate the two walls discovered during the archaeological excavations carried out on this site in 1999: the pre-Roman hillfort wall and the Cerca Vieja or first medieval enclosure (12th century). A screen explains the remains discovered during the archaeological excavations at the site.
Here, several infographics illustrate the symbolic value of the walls and concisely show the successive defenses the city possessed throughout its long history.
2.- Wall Corridor
This passageway runs parallel to the pre-Roman wall. To our right, we can see 32 meters of the inner section of the hillfort wall, which runs north-south. It is built with irregular sandstone blocks, and the maximum preserved height is 2.90 m.
The display panels on the left wall inform visitors about the two settlements that existed on the site of ancient Salamanca during the first millennium BC: the settlement of Cerro de San Vicente, corresponding to the Soto de Medinilla Culture, and the pre-Roman hillfort located on Teso de las Catedrales from the 4th century BC onwards.
3.- Main Hall
The display panels show the evolution of the city and its walls from the medieval repopulation in the 12th century to the Napoleonic fortifications of the early 19th century.
A large panel recreates what the pre-Roman hillfort might have looked like when it was conquered by Hannibal in 220 BC, an episode recounted by the Greek historian Polybius, who tells us: "...and the following summer, moving again towards the Vacceos, attacking it on the march, he seized Helmantiké." With this quote, the first written reference to our city, Salamanca entered history.
The main hall features two interactive screens with explanations of each area.
• The first screen offers three virtual tours: ancient Salamanca, the Vía de la Plata, and the archaeological heritage along the banks of the Tormes.
• The second displays, through photos and videos, the fortifications of the province: pre-Roman, medieval, modern, and contemporary.
In this hall, some archaeological remains (circular mill, ashlar block, and Roman inscriptions) and replicas of Celtiberian pottery are exhibited.
4.- Don Gregorio Hotel Garden
The grille gate located immediately below the Interpretation Centre provides access to the garden of the Don Gregorio Hotel. From inside the garden, a well-preserved section of the outer face of the Cerca Vieja can be seen. This section is 32 meters long, with a quadrangular tower of about 5m in length protruding from its northern end.