CASA DEL REGIDOR OVALLE
20 minutes
The House of Regidor Ovalle is a noble 18th-century building named after its first owner. On its facade, a marble plaque pays homage and reminds those who behold it that Don Miguel de Unamuno lived and passed away in this house.
Read More
Free visit price
- Individual - 0.00 €
The House of Regidor Ovalle is located on Calle Bordadores, near other emblematic monuments such as the Casa de las Muertes, the Palacio de Monterrey, or the Convento de la Anunciación. It is a corner full of history that deserves to be known by those who visit Salamanca.
It is a Baroque-style building dating from the 18th century. It originally belonged to Juan Antonio Ovalle Prieto, who was a city councilor (regidor) and a member of the military Order of Santiago. Little more is known about the history and origins of this building. In contemporary times, it became forever linked to the figure of Don Miguel de Unamuno, one of the most prominent intellectuals and writers of the era. This building was his home, and that of his family, for twenty-two years, and he passed away there on December 31, 1936. Nothing remains inside of what he possessed in life. The family lived as tenants, and almost everything he owned passed to the Rectory House located on Calle de Libreros, today known as the Miguel de Unamuno House-Museum.
Don Miguel arrived at this house in 1914, after being dismissed as rector of the University of Salamanca for his political opinions against the regime of the time. From this house, he departed into exile on February 21, 1924, returning on March 13, 1930. Six years had passed since his departure from Salamanca. Upon entering, his first gesture was to meet his grandson. The crowd gathered at the door led him to go out onto the balcony. Moved, he recalled the words he uttered when he went into exile: “I will return, not with my freedom, which matters not, but with yours.” This moment was immortalized in photographs where Unamuno appears leaning out from the balcony with his family.
His office overlooked this balcony on Calle Bordadores. From this spot, he observed the daily life of Salamanca, a city that was always at the center of his work and thought. From there, he could see the Torreón de las Úrsulas (Ursulines' Tower) peeking out and, at the end of the street, his beloved Campo de San Francisco. The dwelling transformed into a refuge where he dedicated his time to reflecting and writing about transcendental issues. In this space, he brought to life works such as La Tía Tula or Abel Sánchez.
On the house's facade, on a marble plaque, a beautiful poem by Unamuno can be read, where his love for Salamanca and his longing for immortality are expressed.
It is a Baroque-style building dating from the 18th century. It originally belonged to Juan Antonio Ovalle Prieto, who was a city councilor (regidor) and a member of the military Order of Santiago. Little more is known about the history and origins of this building. In contemporary times, it became forever linked to the figure of Don Miguel de Unamuno, one of the most prominent intellectuals and writers of the era. This building was his home, and that of his family, for twenty-two years, and he passed away there on December 31, 1936. Nothing remains inside of what he possessed in life. The family lived as tenants, and almost everything he owned passed to the Rectory House located on Calle de Libreros, today known as the Miguel de Unamuno House-Museum.
Don Miguel arrived at this house in 1914, after being dismissed as rector of the University of Salamanca for his political opinions against the regime of the time. From this house, he departed into exile on February 21, 1924, returning on March 13, 1930. Six years had passed since his departure from Salamanca. Upon entering, his first gesture was to meet his grandson. The crowd gathered at the door led him to go out onto the balcony. Moved, he recalled the words he uttered when he went into exile: “I will return, not with my freedom, which matters not, but with yours.” This moment was immortalized in photographs where Unamuno appears leaning out from the balcony with his family.
His office overlooked this balcony on Calle Bordadores. From this spot, he observed the daily life of Salamanca, a city that was always at the center of his work and thought. From there, he could see the Torreón de las Úrsulas (Ursulines' Tower) peeking out and, at the end of the street, his beloved Campo de San Francisco. The dwelling transformed into a refuge where he dedicated his time to reflecting and writing about transcendental issues. In this space, he brought to life works such as La Tía Tula or Abel Sánchez.
On the house's facade, on a marble plaque, a beautiful poem by Unamuno can be read, where his love for Salamanca and his longing for immortality are expressed.
In the past, the area was a peaceful haven; today, it has been transformed into a lively enclave full of life, where nightclubs, restaurants, and terraces inviting enjoyment abound.
It is a three-story building constructed with good Villamayor stone. It consists of a ground floor, dedicated to commerce and restoration, a main floor with two dwellings whose balconies open onto the street, and a second floor that appears to be a later addition where five balconies open. The facade features a large broken triangular pediment that houses rich Baroque decoration. Above the pediment, between two balconies, it displays the coat of arms of Regidor Ovalle, surmounted by a helmet and surrounded by a garland with Rococo-style fruits. It consists of a Greek cross with straight arms, between which it features four wolves. Three balconies open on the main floor. The one on the left, twice as long as the other two, corresponds to Unamuno's residence.
From the few descriptions we have, it appears that its interior does not differ excessively from the state it presented when the Unamuno family occupied it. The main floor is divided into two dwellings; Unamuno lived in the one on the right. It is accessed by a steep wooden staircase. It is a rectangular-plan dwelling situated between the street and an interior patio. An fig tree grows in the interior patio, and a wooden staircase connects the floors.
Only Unamuno's study had windows facing Bordadores Street. From that balcony, opposite the dressing room of the church of Santa María de los Caballeros, Unamuno contemplated Calle Compañía and the Monterrey Palace, whose beautiful tower he captured in a drawing and which inspired one of his many poems dedicated to the city. In the interior area of the house, there was a small living room with a large window overlooking the garden patio. This is the only room that had a wooden floor. Unamuno passed away in this room. The floor of this room still holds his memory: the burn mark on the wood, a silent witness to the moment when Don Miguel, in his last breath, plunged his foot into the brazier.
Many references and descriptions of Unamuno's study were made by intellectuals and journalists who visited him, especially abundant in the last months of his life. All of them describe a sober room, with walls covered in a dull green fabric. A square table - with a black cloth and two friar's armchairs on each side - served as his desk. Two paintings adorned the room, one of them with a landscape of Lake Sanabria, which may have inspired him when he wrote San Manuel Bueno, Martyr.
His personal library, with more than 6,000 volumes, was donated to the University by Unamuno himself months before his death. The rest of the furniture and personal objects are located in the Miguel de Unamuno House Museum on Calle Libreros.
It is a three-story building constructed with good Villamayor stone. It consists of a ground floor, dedicated to commerce and restoration, a main floor with two dwellings whose balconies open onto the street, and a second floor that appears to be a later addition where five balconies open. The facade features a large broken triangular pediment that houses rich Baroque decoration. Above the pediment, between two balconies, it displays the coat of arms of Regidor Ovalle, surmounted by a helmet and surrounded by a garland with Rococo-style fruits. It consists of a Greek cross with straight arms, between which it features four wolves. Three balconies open on the main floor. The one on the left, twice as long as the other two, corresponds to Unamuno's residence.
From the few descriptions we have, it appears that its interior does not differ excessively from the state it presented when the Unamuno family occupied it. The main floor is divided into two dwellings; Unamuno lived in the one on the right. It is accessed by a steep wooden staircase. It is a rectangular-plan dwelling situated between the street and an interior patio. An fig tree grows in the interior patio, and a wooden staircase connects the floors.
Only Unamuno's study had windows facing Bordadores Street. From that balcony, opposite the dressing room of the church of Santa María de los Caballeros, Unamuno contemplated Calle Compañía and the Monterrey Palace, whose beautiful tower he captured in a drawing and which inspired one of his many poems dedicated to the city. In the interior area of the house, there was a small living room with a large window overlooking the garden patio. This is the only room that had a wooden floor. Unamuno passed away in this room. The floor of this room still holds his memory: the burn mark on the wood, a silent witness to the moment when Don Miguel, in his last breath, plunged his foot into the brazier.
Many references and descriptions of Unamuno's study were made by intellectuals and journalists who visited him, especially abundant in the last months of his life. All of them describe a sober room, with walls covered in a dull green fabric. A square table - with a black cloth and two friar's armchairs on each side - served as his desk. Two paintings adorned the room, one of them with a landscape of Lake Sanabria, which may have inspired him when he wrote San Manuel Bueno, Martyr.
His personal library, with more than 6,000 volumes, was donated to the University by Unamuno himself months before his death. The rest of the furniture and personal objects are located in the Miguel de Unamuno House Museum on Calle Libreros.