History

In the heart of Burgos, Tandem Catedral suites occupy a building linked to one of the most significant moments in the city’s cultural history. During the 15th century, this site was part of the world of Castilian printing, a craft that forever transformed the way knowledge, literature and ideas were shared.

Among its walls, the memory of Fadrique de Basilea lives on, a key printer in 15th- and 16th-century Burgos, whose workshop turned the city into a leading centre of typography in Castile. Today, this historical heritage blends with the contemporary comfort of suites designed to discover Burgos from a place full of character, history and authenticity.

Fadrique de Basilea, the printer who placed Burgos in the history of books

Originally from Basel, Fadrique de Basilea settled in Burgos at the end of the 15th century and developed an intense career as a printer for more than three decades. His workshop became one of the most important printing centres in Castile, recognised for the quality of its editions, the innovation of its typefaces and its contribution to the spread of knowledge during a period marked by the rise of the printed book.

From this historic setting, some of the most significant works of the time were printed, establishing Burgos as a key city in the publishing culture of the Iberian Peninsula. After his death in 1517, the craft remained in the hands of his family, with figures such as Isabel de Basilea, considered one of Spain’s first female printers and the heir to a tradition that endured for generations.

The mark of La Celestina on the façade

The building’s façade preserves a commemorative plaque that recalls one of the most remarkable episodes in its history: the connection of this site with the printing of the first known edition of La Celestina, published in Burgos in 1499 and attributed to Fadrique de Basilea’s workshop.

This work, considered a cornerstone of Spanish literature, makes the history of the building part of the city’s cultural heritage. Staying at Tandem Catedral suites also means coming closer to that legacy: the memory of a Burgos shaped by printing, literature and humanism, where the written word began to open new paths.