The City

Important archaeological remains have been found in Alcalá de Henares and stand as testimony to the presence of different peoples and cultures in the city. The first town on the site was the ancient Celtiberan settlement of Ikesankom Kombouto.

It was with the arrival of the Romans in the 1^st century BC that a remarkable city was founded, the so-called Complutum, which gives the name Complutenses to those born in the city.

When the Muslims took over the city, they moved the urban centre to the hills on the left bank of the river Henares, where they erected a natural barrier against Christian attacks from the north. The current name of the city comes from the Arabic word al-qal'at Nahar, "The castle" or fortress on the Henares. When the Andalusians moved the city centre, they built a walled enclosure annexed to it, whose ruins are still quite deteriorated.

Once reconquered by the Christians in 1118, King Alfonso VII of Castile gave away Alcalá and its lands to the archbishops of Toledo, who built an important castle that would later become the Archbishop's Palace, where monarchs and nobles resided. The palace was the birthplace of the German Emperor Fernando, Juana I's son, and the Queen of England, Catherine of Aragon. It was also the venue of the first meeting between Christopher Columbus and the Catholic Monarchs, Fernando and Isabel, to organise the expedition that led to the discovery of America.

Alcalá de Henares reached its historical heyday at the end of the 15^th century, when Cardinal Cisneros founded the Complutense University in 1499. It was soon to become one of the most renowned centres in European Renaissance culture.

As construction work intensified under the impetus of the Counter-Reformation, the city was transformed into a unique cultural referent which would serve as a blueprint for Spanish urban planning in the Modern Age. Its main building was the Colegio de San Ildefonso, and its admirable Plateresque façade.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the city underwent a progressive decline, which brought about the University’s relocation in Madrid.

It was not until 1977 that the University of Alcalá, as we know it today, came into being. In the process and thanks to the efforts of the local institutions, the University recovered and restored the old college buildings, so that they could re-establish their original function as teaching and research centres.

Alcalá de Henares was declared  World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998, a recognition that acknowledged Alcalá as the best and most developed model of Renaissance town-planning, education and culture.

Alcalá de Henares is also the birthplace of one of Spanish most acclaimed literary figures. Miguel de Cervantes was born in the city in 1547. He is universally renowned for his novel El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, considered by many to be the first modern novel and landmark in literary history.

The Cervantes Institute was created in his honour as a public institution that seeks to promote and teach the Spanish language and to disseminate Spanish and Latin American culture wordwide. 

The typical gastronomy of Alcalá de Henares includes typical dishes of the Castilian cuisine, such as "migas with chorizo sausage" and garlic soup. Among the confectionery, the typical "rosquillas alcalaínas", "costrada" and "almendras garrapiñadas" (sugar-coated almonds) stand out.

Alcalá is also famous for its "tapas" that many of its bars offer with a drink, a tradition and custom that is deeply rooted in many of these establishments.

Cultural events include the Festival de la Palabra, held on the occasion of the Cervantes Award (April), the Classical Theatre Festival (June), the Medieval Market (October) and the performance of Don Juan Tenorio (end of October).

Medieval market in the Main Street of Alcalá de Henares

Performance of Don Juan Tenorio

You can find more information about the tourist and cultural offer of Alcalá de Henares on the following websites

• www.turismoalcala.es
• www.culturalcala.es

Founded by Cardinal Cisneros in 1499, the original building included a "Colegio Mayor", or main residential college, with a number of other contiguous "Colegios Menores". The institution was transferred to Madrid in 1836 and brought back to Alcalá de Henares in 1977. 

The main Plateresque façade dates back to 1553 and was originally designed by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. The building houses several courtyards or quadrangles, the most notable being the "Patio de Santo Tomás de Villanueva", in the Herrerian style, and the "Patio Trilingüe", where Latin, Greek and Hebrew were taught. 

The "Paraninfo", located in the old University's Main Hall, was built around 1520 and has an impressive Mudejar-coffered ceiling and walls adorned with Plateresque plasterwork.

Cathedral - Iglesia Magistral

Cardinal Cisneros led this project at the end of the 15^th century, at the place where, according to tradition, the Holy Children, Justo and Pastor, were martyred. This late Gothic building integrates three naves with groined vaulting, lancet arches and an ambulatory. This Cathedral is, together with St Peter's of Louvain (Belgium), one of the two churches in the world which pride of the title that the Pope only grants to churches with university professors among their canons. The bell tower dominates the Cathedral's exterior.

Archbishop’s Palace - Palacio Arzobispal

Built by the bishops of Toledo as a fortress back in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, it became a palace thanks to the efforts of bishops Fonseca and Talavera in the 16^th century. The main façade dates back to this time. At the end of the 19^th century, it was thoroughly renovated by Manuel Laredo, who was inspired by the neo-Gothic and neo-Mudejar styles.

Founded in 1618 by Cardinal Bernardo de Sandoval for the nuns of the Cistercian Order, this is one of the nine enclosed convents that still remain in Alcalá de Henares. The austere main brick façade is only relieved by its three stone doorways. The chapel's elliptical floor-plan is covered by a great oval dome and opens onto six side chapels. Instead of the more usual altarpiece, the church has a curious "four face canopy", which can host four simultaneous mass services.

Complutum

In the eastern side of Alcalá, the remains of Roman "Complutum" can be found, including a forum with a basilica and hot baths, as well as numerous villas in the surrounding areas.

Cervantes’ Birthplace and Museum

An example of the 16^th century Castilian housing, it witnessed the birth and early childhood of Miguel de Cervantes. The house is built around a courtyard with a two-floor portico. The lower floor was devoted to the family´s daily life, while the private rooms and bedrooms are to found on the upper floor.

Hospital de Antezana

The oldest working medical institution in Spain, it was founded in 1483 by Luis de Antezana and his wife, Isabel de Guzmán, in order to give free medical attention to people of humble origin. The hospital is still providing this same service today.

The building is a typical two-storey Castilian house with a courtyard and a balcony supported by pillars on the top floor. It still retains an impressive collection of rooms with carved ceilings and their original 15^th/16^th-century structures. The Mudejar gables are a key element in the building's neo-Gothic façade.

Cervantes’ Square - "Plaza de Cervantes"

The main square in Alcalá de Henares dates back well before the 13^th century, when it held a weekly market as well as important civic events. The bronze monument to celebrate the invaluable contribution of Miguel de Cervantes at the centre gives the square its name. The bandstand and the Santa Maria Tower are two other monuments of interest. Surrounded by countless shops, restaurants and bars, this square is the hub of the city's social and political life, since it is the site of the Town Hall.