Salamanca is by far the oldest university in Spain (1218). It is also one of the oldest of Europe. Considering prestige alone, Salamanca is more famous because it is a very old university. But about being the "academic centre", I have heard several times that Salamanca was the academic centre of Spanish universities when they were controlled by the Church, but nowadays each university has its own politics and rules. As far as I know, there is no organism with power over all of them (well, barring the government!).
Salamanca is to Spain what Bologna is to Italy. A mythic universitarian city. But the biggest universitarian community is in Madrid.
Salamanca was a great University, comparable to Oxford and Cambridge, centuries ago (not kidding). However, for a long while now it has been lacking in both degrees' variety & quality, and research. It no longer is the University of Reference in Spain, as opposed to Complutense or Autonoma. It carries historical importance and prestige, but is by no means the academic centre of Spain. It's not people's first option, or where parents want their kids to study. And it is no longer comparable to Oxford or Cambridge. But it is a really beautiful place to be, full of history, and it is quite a good university (if you're studying letters especially) --just not in the top 5 anymore.
Photo: sxc.hu
Salamanca University
