University of Valladolid facts for kids
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Universidad de Valladolid
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Seal of the University of Valladolid
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| Motto | Sapientia Aedificavit Sibi Domvm (Latin) |
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Motto in English
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Wisdom (has) built a house for itself |
| Type | Public |
| Established | c. 1241 |
| Rector | Antonio Largo Cabrerizo |
| Students | 31,780 |
| Address |
Plaza de Sta. Cruz, nº 8 47002. Valladolid
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Spain
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| University rankings | |
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| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World | 901–1000 (2023) |
| QS World | 951–1000 (2024) |
| THE World | 1201–1500 (2024) |
| USNWR Global | =1198 (2023) |
The University of Valladolid is a public university in Valladolid, a city in Spain. It's one of the oldest universities in the world, started way back in the 1200s! Today, about 26,000 students study here, and over 2,300 teachers help them learn.
Contents
A Look Back: University History
The University of Valladolid, often called UVa, is a public university in Spain. It began in 1241. This happened when studies from the University of Palencia moved here. The University of Palencia was founded by Alfonso VIII of Castile between 1208 and 1212.
The UVa teaches higher education. It has seven campuses in four cities of Castile and Leon. These cities are Valladolid, Palencia, Soria, and Segovia.
Amazing University Buildings
The first important building for the university was built in the late 1400s. This was after the university moved from the Colegiata. It had a four-sided cloister, which is an open area surrounded by covered walkways. It also had a chapel built in the late Gothic style. You could enter the cloister through a beautiful Gothic doorway.
In the early 1700s, the university needed more space. So, they added another square cloister with four more walkways.
The Baroque Façade
From the University Square, you can see a beautiful Baroque-style front of the building. This part was designed by a Carmelite friar named Fray Pedro de la Visitación. It was built in 1715. This façade has sculptures that show what subjects were taught inside. The middle part has four large columns and a fancy top.
Changes Over Time
In 1909, there was a big decision to tear down the old building. This included the 15th-century entrance. The plan was to build a new one designed by architect Teodosio Torres. Luckily, the beautiful Baroque façade was kept.
Torres's design included two cloisters. A grand staircase was placed between them. The front of the building facing Bookshop Street was a new version of Fray Pedro's Baroque design. It mixed different styles like Plateresque, Baroque, and Neoclassical. One side had an observation tower, and the other had a new clock tower.
The project faced challenges, especially with adding the old Baroque façade to the new building. In 1939, a fire damaged the building. To fix the problem of the façade, Constantino Candeira designed a large staircase and entrance hall. This part was built in a historical style. It showed the grand architecture of Spain after the war.
In 1968, the building was finished. The second cloister was removed, and a five-story building was added for students. Torres's original building was designed for fewer students, so it was changed. The observation tower and the large auditorium from 1909 were also removed. The front facing Librería Street was updated, losing some of Torres's original design. A new auditorium now stands next to Fray Pedro's façade.
The computer science department at the university has hosted programming contests. These contests used online judging for the computer programs that students wrote.
Culture and Arts
The university has many cultural groups for music and theatre.
Music Groups
- Youth Symphonic Orchestra: The Joven Orquesta de la Universidad de Valladolid (JOUVa) is a youth orchestra run by university students. It started in 1998. Francisco Lara Tejero has been its musical director since it began.
- Choir: The Coro de la Universidad de Valladolid is the university's choir. It is led by Marcos Castán.
- Early Music Group: This group is called El Parnasso.
Theatre Group
The theatre group is Gente de Teatro de la Uva. It started in 1984 as the People's Theatre of the Faculty of Medicine. In 1998, it became the official theatre group of the university. Its director is Carlos Burguillo.
Cultural Programs
The university's Area of Extension and Culture offers cultural programs all year. They especially focus on the UniversiJazz Festival and Santa Cruz events.
The University of Valladolid also supports other cultural activities. This includes events by the Hermandad Universitaria del Santo Cristo de la Luz, like Christmas and Passion plays. The university helps organize concerts with different groups and partners.
The University Library
The university library has 14 different library locations. Some are in Palencia, Soria, and Segovia provinces. Most are in Valladolid. Each location has its own director. A Chief Librarian manages all the services, with help from Central Services.
You can find books using the Almena Catalogue. The UVaDoc repository also holds many documents.
Library Collection
The library has about 970,000 books. Some of these are very old and important. For example, its collection of ancient books has 45,000 titles. This includes handwritten books and early printed books from the 900s.
The library also has:
- 16,000 magazine titles
- 21,000 online journals
- 900 e-books
- 66 databases
- 33,000 theses and master's projects
Library Services
The library offers many services to students and staff:
- A helpful website
- Reading rooms for studying
- Borrowing books between different libraries or campuses
- Loaning books from the main collection
- Computers for use
- Access to e-books
- Information about books and research
- Online learning through Moodle to help users
- Guides for different subjects
- Tutorials to learn how to use the library
The library is part of many important groups. These include OCLC, Europe Direct, REBIUN, Dialnet, Catálogo 17, ABBA, Documat, REDINED, and BUCLE.
See also
In Spanish: Universidad de Valladolid para niños
- List of oldest universities in continuous operation
- List of medieval universities
