Southwest of Salamanca, finely situated high above the Río Agueda, here spanned by a bridge built on Roman foundations, is Ciudad Rodrigo, one of the most interesting towns in the province of Salamanca, with charming late medieval buildings. The whole town is protected as a national monument. Originally the Roman settlement of Mirobriga Vettorum, it was re-founded in the 12th century by Count Rodrigo González Girón. As a border fortress on the frontier with Portugal it saw much fighting down the centuries. In 1812 the Duke of Wellington captured it from the French and thereafter was granted the title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo. Pigs and fighting bulls are now bred in the surrounding area.
Built against the walls on the south side of Ciudad Rodrigo, above the river, is the Alcázar of Ciudad Rodrigo, the Castillo de Enrique II de Trastamara (14th-15th C.), which is now a parador. From the castle there is a view of the old bridge over the Río Agueda.
From the northwest corner of the Plaza Mayor it is a short distance to the quiet and secluded Plazuela del Buen Alcalde, in the center of which is a fountain. On the west side of the square is the Capilla de Cerralbo (16th-17th C.), in Herreran style.
The Cathedral of Santa María was begun in the mid 12th century and much altered in the 16th. It is entered through two richly decorated doorways. Notable features of the interior are the beautiful choir-stalls by Rodrigo Alemán (1498); the high altar by Gil de Hontañón, with a painting by Fernando Gallego; and the altar in the north transept, with an alabaster Descent from the Cross. The cloister (13th-14th C.) contains a number of interesting tombs and has capitals depicting the Fall.
Address: Ciudad Rodrigo Cathedral of Santa María, E-37500 Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain
To the east of the Cathedral stands the Palacio de los Castro, with a Plateresque facade, and diagonally opposite it is the Palacio de Moctezuma. From here a narrow lane leads back to the Plazuela del Buen Alcalde.
In the elongated Plaza Mayor are the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), an imposing 16th century building flanked by round towers bearing coats of arms, with a two-story arcaded patio, and a number of handsome houses, including the Palacio de los Cueto on the north side, which has a frieze of relief decoration.
The circuit of walls round Ciudad Rodrigo is more than 2km/1.25mi long and up to 13m/43ft high. The walls were originally built in the 12th century, but were renovated and rebuilt down to the 18th century.
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