Alcala de Henares

Each week, we, the good folk of Inhispania, kindly organise a range of optional extra curricular activities for you, the students, to enjoy. These range from the more simple “Tapas en El Tigre” or a football match against the teachers to excursions to local places of interest such as Alcalá de Henares.

So here is a little background information to excite you ...
Located just 35km northeast of the city of Madrid and thus just a bus ride away, this city is particularly proud of its university’s beautiful architecture which was founded in 1496 and became an important centre of learning during the Renaissance. The original institution of Universidad Complutense actually transferred to Madrid in the 19th century but in 1977 a new university was founded in the old buildings. Nowadays the uni is very popular with international students.

No historical town would be complete without an impressive cathedral and Alcala’s dates from 414AD. It is in fact one of the world’s only 2 churches where all the canons of the Cathedral must be a Doctor of Theology to serve there.

More excitingly however, Alcalá was actually the birthplace of both Catherine of Aragon (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella) and Cervantes (author of Don Quixote). Furthermore Chistopher Colombus and King Ferdinand even planned the journey to the West in little old Alcalá!

So if you’re interested in seeing this famous and historical town then don’t forget to check our activities noticeboard regularly to see if we are going, get all the useful information and sign up!
photo via: Picture from Wikipedia