The final day trip of my 2023 trip to Spain was to Alcalá de Henares. Like Arajuez and El Escorial, Alcalá de Henares is located outside the city of Madrid but within the Madrid region. Like all the places I visited on day trips, not to mention places in Madrid and Valencia, Alcalá de Henares has a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Alcalá de Henares gets this distinction because it was the world’s 1st planned university city. Alcalá de Henares is also known for being the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, possibly history’s greatest novelist.
The name of Alcalá de Henares comes from a hilltop castle, now in ruins, built by the Moors. You may think that alcalá sounds like alcázar. They’re both Spanish words derived from Arabic words for “castle”. And Henares? That’s the river that flows past the city and the ruins.
Museo Casa Natal de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares in 1547. The house where he was born is now a museum, Museo Casa Natal de Cervantes (the “Cervantes Birthplace Museum”).
As you can see, Cervantes was born in a pretty nice house. It belonged to his grandfather, who was a successful lawyer.
University Precinct
The history of the university in Alcalá de Henares is a little confusing, well to me anyways. A center for study was initially founded in 1293. (That beats Harvard by centuries!) In 1499, the center for study was officially designated as a university. The university was named Universitas Complutensis after Complutum, the Roman city located at what’s now Alcalá de Henares. It was at this time that land was acquired and significant construction took place, resulting in the world’s 1st intentionally built university campus. In 1836, the university was moved to Madrid by royal order. Things went full circle in 1975 when Madrid-based Universitas Complutensis opened a branch in Alcalá de Henares. (In the intervening 139 years, businesses occupied the historic university buildings.) In 1977, the local branch of Universitas Complutensis was replaced by a new university–University of Alcalá de Henares. The name of the new university was subsequently shortened to University of Alcalá. Like I said, confusing!
Laredo Palace
On the way back to the train station, I walked by the Laredo Palace. The Laredo Palace was built by artist and architect (and later on, mayor of Alcalá de Henares) Manuel José de Laredo y Ordoño in the 1880s as his home. The building was primarily built in the Neo-Mudéjar style–which we previously saw at Las Ventas bullring and Toledo railway station. Laredo Palace now houses a museum.
With my day in Alcalá de Henares done, I headed back to the station to wait for my train back to Madrid. While at the station, I recalled a sad day in Spain’s history. On March 11, 2004, there were train bombings on Madrid’s Cercanías (commuter rail) lines. 193 people were killed. All of the bombs were planted on morning rush hour trains between Alcalá de Henares and Atocha station in Madrid. There is now a memorial to the victims at Atocha station.
[Factual information is primarily gathered from Wikipedia, so you know it must be true.]
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