Cervantes Square

The largest and most important square in Alcalá de Henares is dedicated to the city’s favorite son. Plaza de Cervantes (Cervantes Square) is the center of social and cultural life in the city of Alcalá de Henares. During the festivities at the end of August, it is filled with events and a stage offers concerts and open-air dances. At the beginning of October, the Semana Cervantina (Cervantes Week) is celebrated and the square and its surroundings return to the Golden Age with the Mercado Cervantino (Cervantes Market), and its parades, puppets and period stalls.

But apart from its active life, the Plaza de Cervantes (Cervantes Square) Alcalá de Henares is a monument in itself. In the center is a statue of the author of Don Quixote of La Mancha, the work of the Italian sculptor Carlo Nicoli Manfredi, inaugurated in 1879. On the west side we find the City Hall, built on the foundations of the old college-convent of San Carlos Borromeo or Agonizantes. Next to the Consistory we find another of the symbols of Alcalá, the Corral de Comedias Theatre, which already exhibited its theatrical works in the early seventeenth century.

The Music Kiosk from the end of the 19th century, located at the southern end, is another of the most significant elements of the square. Its original function was as a stage for small concerts. Behind it is the tower of the old church of Santa María la Mayor, a magnificent viewpoint over the city that can be visited free of charge. The baptismal font of Miguel de Cervantes, now located in the Capilla del Oidor (Oidor Chapel), was originally located at the foot of the tower of Santa Maria when the writer was baptized. Also noteworthy in the square is the façade of the headquarters of the Círculo de Contribuyentes (Taxpayers’ Circle) and its barometer from the late 19th century. A perfect starting point for any tourist visit, the heart of the city.