Old University and Machado Classroom

The old university links the Renaissance with a much more recent school history. The institution began in 1538, but Antonio Machado taught French here between 1912 and 1919 when the building was already a secondary school. That distinction prevents imagining him teaching at a surviving Renaissance university. Examine the Mannerist façade and, if admitted, follow the courtyard arcades before approaching the classroom and interpretation space. Desks, documents and displays encourage thoughts about individual pupils as well as a famous writer. Turn the visit into a question: what differs between learning in this building and attending school today? Afterwards continue the Machado thread towards the Paseo de las Murallas, where the town meets its surrounding landscape.