Universitas Castellae was established in 1997, under the legal form of a Limited Company. It is a private, non-regulated education center dedicated to research and specialized in teaching the Spanish language and culture to foreign university students. In keeping with its international vocation, evident in the varied origins of our students, its teaching staff is made up of a group of permanent professors with extensive scientific and teaching backgrounds, as well as a group of visiting professors, leading Hispanists, from various Spanish and foreign universities.
In support of its teaching work, our center , together with other collaborating institutions, promotes a comprehensive project for the development of research on Hispanic language and literature, the first fruits of which are the publication of the yearbooks Siglo Nineteen, Hecho Teatral, La Nueva Literatura Hispánica and Revista Iberoamericana de Lingüística, as well as the collections Español Lengua Extranjera, Anejos Siglo Nineteenth, Cultura Iberoamericana and an International Congress organized together with McGill University.
The city of Valladolid is famous for its good standard of “castellano”, or Castilian Spanish. Founded in the Middle Ages, it came to be the nation’s capital during the XVIth Century. It functioned as head of the Empire for many years before the Royal Court moved permanently to Madrid in the 17th century. Today, it is the largest regional capital in Europe. Valladolid is attractive for its winding, narrow streets and secluded medieval patios, yet it is a modern city, with a population of nearly 400,000.
Valladolid is a city of rich and well-celebrated historical and cultural heritage. The city offers a diverse array of important museums, including the world-famous National Religious Sculpture Museum, situated within the splendid frame of the Colegio de San Gregorio; the Oriental Museum ; the Contemporary Art Museum and the Wine Museum of Peñafiel. The Cathedral of Valladolid and the churches of San Miguel, La Cruz and Las Angustias conserve many objects of great artistic value, while the churches of San Pablo and La Antigua are true architectural treasures in themselves. Valladolid offers a full program of recreational and cultural activities (ceramics workshops, theatre, regional dances, concerts, and other performances). It hosts the Cinema International Festival (SEMINCI) in October, and it has one of the most impressive Holy Weeks in the world.