Panoramic view of courtyard, Casa de las Conchas, Salamanca, Spain, pictured on December 17, 2010 in the afternoon. The Casa de la Conchas, 15th century, was built as the palace of Rodrigo Maldonado, a knight of the Santiago Order (Order of St James), whose emblem is a shell. Adorning the walls of the palace are carvings of shells, hence the name. It is now a library. Salamanca, an important Spanish University city, is known as La Ciudad Dorada ("The golden city") because of the unique golden colour of its Renaissance sandstone buildings. Founded in 1218 its University is still one of the most important in Spain. Around it the Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen