Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
at roughly metres above sea level, the city straddles the Henares River. it has a population of 86,222 which makes it the region's second most populated
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
.
History
Alleged identification with ''Arriaca''
A Roman town called ''Arriaca'', possibly founded by a pre-Roman culture, is known to have been located in that region. There is however no archeological proof of its existence, only references in texts such as the '' Ruta Antonina'', which describe it as being in the hands of the
Carpetani
The Carpetani ( Greek: ''Karpetanoi'') were one of the Celtic pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula (the Roman Hispania, modern Spain and Portugal), akin to the Celtiberians, dwelling in the central part of the '' meseta'' - the high ce ...
when encountered by the Romans. The city, as ''Caracca'', was incorporated into the Roman province of
Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia was the ...
. The city was on the high road from Emerita (modern Mérida) to Caesaraugusta (modern
Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Province of Zaragoza, Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Ara ...
), 22 M. P. northeast of Complutum (modern
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish city in the Community of Madrid. Straddling the Henares River, it is located to the northeast of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated municipality ...
).
Early Middle Ages
The founding, dating from the Islamic period, is attributed to a person named "Faraŷ". It was officially known as Madīnat al-Faraŷ in the 9th and 10th centuries. The town was later known as Wādī l-Ḥiŷāra ( ar, وادي الحجارة), possibly meaning "Valley of Stones" (as in
river gravel
River gravel is a name given to gravel composed of small pieces of rounded stone of various colors, usually no larger than a large coin. It is named for the effect of many years of rounding of the edges of the stones due to a flow of water over ...
); in theory it may be a literal translation of the Iberian name ''Arriaca''. It has also been also proposed that ''Ḥajāra'' should not be understood as ''stones/gravel'', but in the sense of "castles" or "fortified rocks".
Part of the Middle March of Al-Andalus, the city and its wider district was controlled by the
Masmuda
The Masmuda ( ar, المصمودة, Berber: ⵉⵎⵙⵎⵓⴷⵏ) is a Berber tribal confederation of Morocco and one of the largest in the Maghreb, along with the Zanata and the Sanhaja. They were composed of several sub-tribes: Berghoua ...
Berber clan of the Banū Sālim who governed on behalf of the Umayyad rulers of Córdoba. During the Muslim period an ''
Alcázar
An alcázar, from Arabic ''al-Qasr'', is a type of Islamic castle or palace in the Iberian Peninsula (also known as al-Andalus) built during Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for gov ...
'' (fortress) was built by the mid-9th century, as well as the Bridge over the Henares (its construction has been tentatively dated by the late 10th century or early 11th century). Walls enclosing the city were also built by then. In 920, the Banū Sālim were routed from Guadalajara (reportedly because of the local population resented their rule) by Abd al-Rahman III, who attempted to directly rule the territory.
Guadalajara was part of the territory annexed by Alfonso VI of León-Castile in the 1085 conquest of the
Taifa of Toledo
The Taifa of Toledo () was an islamic polity ('' taifa'') located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula in the high middle ages. It was ruled by the Dhulnunids, a Hawwara Berber clan. It emerged after 1018 upon the fracturing of the Caliphate of ...
, with the city of Guadalajara surrendering and offering no resistance. Tradition claims however that a contingent led by Álvar Fáñez de Minaya (one of the lieutenants of
El Cid
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El C ...
) seized the city on 24 June, at night.
The area was repopulated with people from the North (
Castilians
Castilians (Spanish: ''castellanos'') are those people who live in certain former areas of the historical Kingdom of Castile, but the region's exact limits are disputed. A broader definition is to consider as Castilians the population belonging ...
Basques
The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Ba ...
and
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
ses mainly).
Alfonso VII
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
granted Guadalajara its first ''
fuero
(), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ; all ...
'' on 3 May 1133. This charter progressively incorporated several amendments. The second ''fuero'', probably conceived during the reign of
Alfonso VIII
Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (''El Noble'') or the one of Las Navas (''el de las Navas''), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at ...
, was anyway confirmed by Ferdinand III on 26 May 1219 and 13 April 1251.
For most of its history, up until the 20th century, Guadalajara's water supply came from two sources: the Henares river and the springs located along the cornice formed by the border of the limestone moors of
La Alcarria
The Alcarria ( es, La Alcarria) is a natural region in Castile (Spain). It is located mainly in Guadalajara Province but also overlaps those of Cuenca and Madrid. Its principal attractions are its fauna and flora and it is noted for its honey a ...
. Control over the scarce water resources was fought over and it became a symbol of social status for the local nobility during the Late Middle Ages.
During the reign of
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germ ...
, the protection of the king allowed the city to develop its economy by protecting merchants and allowing markets.
Rule of the Mendozas
Traditionally a ' town, with a vote in the Cortes of Castile, the town became under the influence of the powerful
Mendoza family
The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobility, Spanish nobles. Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the History of Spain, 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the village of ...
until well into the Early Modern period. Despite the former meddling that underpinned the political control of the city, Guadalajara was not enshrined as formal seigneurial jurisdiction of the Mendozas in a legal sense. The family included
Íñigo López de Mendoza
Inigo derives from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (love)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity in the United Kingdom.
Ear ...
, also known as Marqués de Santillana (1398–1458), and
Pedro González de Mendoza
Pedro González de Mendoza (3 May 1428 – 11 January 1495) was a Spanish cardinal, statesman and lawyer. He served on the council of King Enrique IV of Castile and in 1467 fought for him at the Second Battle of Olmedo. In 1468 he was named bi ...
(1428–1495), Great Cardinal of Spain and adviser of the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
.
The Mendoza family held the title of Dukes and Duchesses of
El Infantado
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
from 1475. On 25 March 1460, Henry IV granted Guadalajara the status of 'City'. In this period, the Mendoza Family ordered the building of El Palacio del Infantado as their main residence. It was completed in the early 1480s and it is considered by many the oldest surviving building built in a pure Renaissance style outside Italy.
The city's economy prospered thanks to the development of a specialised artisanate and a bustling trade.
In the early 16th century, the city was one of the main focal points of the ''iluminismo'' (or ''
alumbrados
The (, ''Illuminated'') was a term used to loosely describe practitioners of a mystical form of Christianity in Spain during the 15th-16th centuries. Some were only mildly heterodox, but others held views that were clearly Christian heresy, heret ...
'') in the
Kingdom of Toledo
The Kingdom of Toledo ( es, Reino de Toledo) was a realm in the central Iberian Peninsula, created after the capture of Toledo by Alfonso VI of León in 1085. It continued in existence until 1833; its region is currently within Spain.
Back ...
, linked to heterodox religious figures such as
Isabel de la Cruz
Isabel de la Cruz, was a Spanish mystic.Bainton, Roland (1977). Women of the Reformation: From Spain to Scandinavia'. 3. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House. {{ISBN, 9780800662486.
She was a co-founder of the ''Alumbrados'' movement.
Sh ...
Revolt of the Comuneros
The Revolt of the Comuneros ( es, Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its height, th ...
across the Crown of Castile, the ''comunero'' rebels in Guadalajara, as early as 5 June 1520, asked the Duke of the Infantado, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, to join the anti-imperial revolt. The demonstrators lit the houses of the ''procurators'' who went to the Cortes of La Coruña to vote in favour of the taxes and obligations levied by Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
. The Duke of Infantado played a cautious waiting game to see which side would win, finally choosing to endorse the Emperor in 1521. He ordered the beheading of the local leaders of the insurgency and the deportation of his own son and successor
Íñigo López de Mendoza
Inigo derives from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (love)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity in the United Kingdom.
Ear ...
, who had leaned towards the ''comunero'' cause.
By 1591, the city had a population of 6,754.
Crisis
The Crisis of the 17th century took a heavy toll in many Castilian cities, and particularly in Guadalajara. The city was affected by the 1610
expulsion of the moriscos
The Expulsion of the Moriscos ( es, Expulsión de los moriscos) was decreed by King Philip III of Spain on April 9, 1609. The Moriscos were descendants of Spain's Muslim population who had been forced to convert to Christianity. Since the Spani ...
both in terms of the net demographic loss (10% of the population) as well as by their critical weight in key sectors of the local economy such as the artisanate and trade. Many palaces were left forsaken. The Mendozas left the city for good in 1657.
During the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
, in the early 18th century, Guadalajara was sacked. Ravaged by the ''Austracist'' army, a largely ruined Guadalajara hit then its lowest demographic point, with only around 2,200 inhabitants. Without external assistance the city may have simply ceased to exist. The 20,000,000 '' maravedies'' indebted to the Royal Treasury were forgiven in 1716.
Philip V Philip V may refer to:
* Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC)
* Philip V of France (1293–1322)
* Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598)
* Philip V of Spain
Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...
ordered the establishment of the Real Fábrica de Paños (Royal Factory of Clothes), which was opened in the city in 1719 in the Palacio del Marqués de Montesclaros, critically helping the city to move on from the calamitous situation it found itself.
Contemporary times
The 19th century started with two major setbacks: the damages caused by the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
(1808–1814) and the closing of the Real Fábrica de Paños in 1822. In 1808, Guadalajara was taken by the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
led by General Hugo and the city was destroyed. During the war, the 14 convents in the city were abandoned and turned into barracks, paving the way for the future processes of '' desamortización'', most decisively in between 1833 and 1843.
The ''desamortización'' entailed the change of use of religious buildings (turned to hospitals, high schools, military workshops), the demolition of some convents to widen street space and to erect new residential areas, and the reduction of the share of church properties in the estate structure.
Both the declaration of Guadalajara as provincial capital and the parallel installment of the Academy of Military Engineers in the city in 1833, fostered some slow growth.
Railway transport arrived to the city with the opening of the Madrid–Guadalajara stretch of the Madrid–Zaragoza line (built by the , MZA) on 3 May 1859. Conversely, the Guadalajara–
Jadraque
Jadraque is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Guadalajara, Castilla–La Mancha. The municipality spans across a total area of 38.91 km2. As of 1 January 2020, it has a population of 1,370.
History
It is home to a medieval castl ...
stretch to the northeast was opened on 5 October 1860.
The municipality had a population of 12,662 in 1900, the most populated municipality in the province, followed by
Sigüenza
Sigüenza () is a city in the Serranía de Guadalajara comarca, Province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain.
History
The site of the ancient ''Segontia'' ('dominating over the valley') of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called ('old town ...
(10,581). The 20th century saw the construction of the current water supply system bringing the waters of the
Sorbe
The Sorbe is a right-bank tributary of the Henares, located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It forms part of the Tagus river basin.
It has its source in the easternmost foothills of the Sistema Central at roughly 1,310 m above sea level, ...
to the city.
On 21 July 1936, following the general coup d'état of 18 July that sparked the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
(1936–1939), the conspiring officers in the city (joined by the forces of public order and some civilians, amounting to an overall force of roughly 800) raised in arms, seizing control of the city. The next day, the Republican Government in Madrid sent Ildefonso Puigdendolas to quell the rebellion and secure the city. The rebels were pushed in retreat to the ''Cuartel de Aerostación'', where they surrendered. The militias executed roughly one hundred of them.
The city was the target of several aerial bombing attacks by the Francoist faction throughout the conflict; the most known one, in December 1936, affected the Palacio del Infantado.
On 8 March 1937, the four divisions of the Italian
Corpo Truppe Volontarie
The Corps of Volunteer Troops ( it, Corpo Truppe Volontarie, CTV) was a Fascist Italian expeditionary force of military volunteers, which was sent to Spain to support the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco against the Spanish R ...
(CTV), attacked Republican positions outside Guadalajara as a supporting diversionary attack supporting the Nationalist
Jarama
Jarama () is a river in central Spain. It flows north to south, and passes east of Madrid where the El Atazar Dam is built on a tributary, the Lozoya River. It flows into the river Tagus in Aranjuez. The Manzanares is a tributary of the Jaram ...
Offensive launched at the beginning of February. After four days of slow, cautious advance during rainy weather, the tanks started attacking down substantial hard paved roads and outran their air and anti-aircraft artillery support. Shortly thereafter, Republican aviation assets airborne in newly cleared skies found the tanks and infantry in a traffic jam on the main road heading into Guadalajara. The Republican aircraft proceeded to attack and destroy all the vehicles in the mechanized spearhead. The CTV was thrown back with casualties in the thousands. Ernest Hemingway and other war correspondents labeled the attack, "Italian débâcle at Guadalajara." Republican forces enjoyed an increase in recruitment as a result of the victory.
This defeat at Guadalajara had two long-standing effects. First, the Italian Army of the Mussolini dictatorship acquired a reputation for incompetence that never left it before the armistice of 1943. Second, some observing nations adopted an armored doctrine that ruled out tanks operating as an independent force, but emphasized tying them tightly to large infantry formations.
The Civil War and the heavy fighting around the city caused significant damage. After two decades of slow rebuilding, Guadalajara was included in 1959 in the development plans addressing the congestion of Madrid's industrial estates (''El Plan de Descongestión Industrial de Madrid en Castilla-La Mancha''). These plans attempted to move industrial and accompanying residential growth to the periphery, resulting in increased industry presence in Guadalajara. Since then, Guadalajara has been one of the cities in Spain with greatest relative growth.
Guadalajara absorbed the municipalities of Taracena, Valdenoches and Iriépal in 1969, Marchamalo in 1972 and Usanos in 1973. Later, in 1999, Marchamalo segregated from Guadalajara, becoming a standalone municipality again.
Nowadays, Guadalajara is involved in urban development plans that are quickly increasing the population of the city. New districts like Aguas Vivas (Live Waters) have been inaugurated.
Ciudad Valdeluz was planned to increase the number of inhabitants of Guadalajara by 30,000, creating a new city around the
AVE
''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
Station (Spanish High-Speed Trains). The company investing in the construction of Ciudad Valdeluz went bankrupt. Fewer than 500 inhabitants decided to occupy their flats and the remaining infrastructure is slow degrading. The AVE trains are used by only 60 passengers a day.
The town-plannings have dramatically increased the cost of the new houses, and it has become one of the cheapest provinces in Spain for house-buying to be the 3rd province in Spain with the most expensive square meter.
Geography
Location
Guadalajara is located the central part of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
, in the southern half of the Inner Plateau.
Chosen as settlement on the basis of defensive purposes, the historic urban core of the city lies on a small elevation near the left-bank of the
Henares River
The Henares () is a river in Spain, tributary of the Jarama. It has its source in the Sierra Ministra, in the village of Horna, near Sigüenza, in the province of Guadalajara. Its tributaries are the Torote, the Sorbe, the Cañamares, the ...
, also enclosed to the East and West by two small ditches corresponding to two watercourses, and San Antonio, respectively, forming a narrow and easily defendable space upon their confluence with the Henares.
The municipality spans across a total area of 235.49 km2.
Climate
Guadalajara enjoys a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Csa'') with continental influences for being well inland at 700 meters above sea level. Summers are hot with relatively cool nights, while winters are cool with cold nights. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Guadalajara is on 12 January 2009. The highest temperature ever recorded is on 10 August 2012.
Politics and administration
Guadalajara is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
, the basic level of local division in Spain. The
Ayuntamiento
''Ayuntamiento'' ()In other languages of Spain:
* ca, ajuntament ().
* gl, concello ().
* eu, udaletxea (). is the general term for the town council, or ''cabildo'', of a municipality or, sometimes, as is often the case in Spain and Latin Amer ...
is the body charged with the municipal government and administration. The Plenary of the ''ayuntamiento'' is formed by 25 elected municipal councillors, who in turn invest the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
. The last municipal election took place on 26 May 2019. Since June 2019, the current mayor is
Alberto Rojo Blas
Alberto Rojo Blas (born 1975) is a Spanish politician, Mayor of Guadalajara since June 2019. He previously served as Mayor of Hita from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).
Biography
Born in 1975 in Guad ...
(
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources:
*
*
*
* political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
formed by the municipality of Guadalajara together with the neighbouring municipalities of
Azuqueca de Henares
Azuqueca de Henares is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2013 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 34.685 inhabitants. The mayor of Azuqueca is José Luis Blanco.
Hi ...
,
Alovera
Alovera is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2015 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 12,247 inhabitants.
History
Since the discovery of a Roman ''cupae'' (a tomb ...
Villanueva de la Torre
Villanueva de la Torre is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara
Guadalajara () is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2013 it had a population of 257,723 people. The popul ...
and
Chiloeches
Chiloeches is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a g ...
, with a population of 161,683 (2019).
Architecture
;City proper
The bridge across the Henares river is Arab but built on Roman foundations. It has several historic buildings such as the Palacio del Infantado, as well as many churches, such as the church of San Ginés. Although Guadalajara is the biggest city in its diocese, the cathedral is located in the nearby town of Sigüenza. However, in Guadalajara, there is a "co-cathedral", the church of Saint Mary, in Mudejar style. Very close to this church, is placed the chapel known as "Capilla de Luis de Lucena", which has several fresco paintings on its walls and ceiling. The Church of los Remedios was declared ''
Bien de Interés Cultural
A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries.
The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense) and inclu ...
'' in 1924, and currently serves as the auditorium of the
University of Alcalá
The University of Alcalá ( es, Universidad de Alcalá) is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km (22 miles) northeast of Madrid in Spain and also the third-largest city of the region. It was founded in 1293 as a ...
. The Church of la Piedad was declared ''Bien de Interés Cultural'' in 1931.
Before the Civil War, Guadalajara was also known to be among the cities with most number of antique
azulejo
''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, resta ...
s in the Iberian Peninsula housed in their buildings, since the city housed the largest collection of azulejos from
Talavera de la Reina pottery
Talavera de la Reina pottery is a traditional type of faience, or tin-glazed earthenware made in Talavera de la Reina, Toledo (Spain). The area has a long history of pottery, and dishes, jars, ceramics and other objects have been found in recen ...
; now almost all of those azulejos are lost.
;''Pedanías''
The small villages (''pedanías'') of Iriépal, Taracena, Usanos, and Valdenoches that belong to the municipality feature few monumental landmarks other than their humble rural churches. Thus, in Iriépal there is the Concepción church, constructed in the 16th century, which is known for its Mudéjar tower. In Taracena there is the 17th century Church of the Immaculate, in a very simple Renaissance style. In Usanos, there is the 13th-century Romanesque church of the Assumption, considerably remodeled in later periods and which features a crenelated tower.
Other types of monuments that are also noteworthy are the Iriépal laundry, work of 1910 in
historicist
Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely u ...
style with funding from the Jose Santa María de Hita Foundation, and Iriépal (1858) and Valdenoches (1656) funds.
Throughout all the villages there are examples of Castilian mansions, quite modest compared to those in the cities. Of note also is Villaflores, a farming village built in 1887, designed by
Ricardo Velázquez Bosco
Ricardo Velázquez Bosco (1843–1923) was a Spanish architect, archaeologist and scholar.
Velázquez's most notable architecture was erected in Madrid, buildings such as the Palacio de Cristal and the Palacio de Velázquez (both in the Parqu ...
and commissioned to Maria Diega Desmaissières.
Transport
Guadalajara is served by two railway stations:
*
Guadalajara railway station
Guadalajara railway station (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Estación de Guadalajara'') is a Spanish railway station owned by Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias, ADIF that serves the Spanish city of Guadalajara, Castilla–La Mancha, Gu ...
, located in the city centre and part of the classical railway lines, e.g., connecting Chamartín to
Portbou
Portbou () is a town in the Alt Empordà county, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It has a population of people ().
Portbou is located near the French border in the Costa Brava region, and frequently serves as a dropping off poin ...
/
Cerbère
Cerbère (; ca, Cervera de la Marenda) is a commune and railway town in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.Guadalajara–Yebes railway station, located at the South-East of Guadalajara, on the
Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line
The Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line is a standard gauge railway line inaugurated on 20 February 2008. Designed for speeds of and compatibility with neighbouring countries' rail systems, it connects the cities of Madrid and Barcelona i ...
.
Sports
The local men's football team,
CD Guadalajara
Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divisi ...
, currently play at the
Tercera División
Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segunda División'', and the semi-professional ''Segunda Di ...
, the fourth tier of the Spanish football system. Their home pitch is the
Pedro Escartín
Pedro Escartín Morán (8 August 1902 – 21 May 1998) was a Spanish football player, referee, coach, journalist and author.
He was an international referee from 1928 to 1948, and a member of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for 27 years. He ...
ASOBAL
Liga Asobal is the premier professional handball league in Spain. It was founded in 1958 with the name of División de Honor, changing its name to the current name in 1990.
The Liga ASOBAL, which is played under EHF rules, currently consists of 1 ...
league, the top tier of the men's handball system in Spain. Their home fixtures are played at the
Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara
Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara, also known as Polideportivo de Aguas Vivas, is an arena in Guadalajara, Spain. It is primarily used for basketball, volleyball, handball and futsal. The capacity of the arena is 5,894 people. It was a venue for ...
;Twin towns and sister cities
Guadalajara is twinned with:
*
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, Italy (since 1979)
*
Roanne
Roanne (; frp, Rouana; oc, Roana) is a commune in the Loire department, central France.
It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (Fren ...
, France (since 1980)
*
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
, Italy (since 1982)
*
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, Mexico (since 1982)
*
Nitra
Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...
, Slovakia (since 1988)
*
Nuneaton
Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth in northern Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire and West Midlands County.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's ...
, United Kingdom (since 1990)
* Guadalajara de Buga, Colombia (since 1996)
;Other city partnerships
*
Nowy Sącz
Nowy Sącz (; hu, Újszandec; yi, Tzanz, צאַנז; sk, Nový Sonč; german: Neu-Sandez) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. It has ...
, Poland
Notable people
Distinguished people from or related to the town were:
* Álvar Fáñez de Minaya (fl. 1076–1114), alleged Christian conqueror of Guadalajara, represented on the city's coat of arms.
*
Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (Spanish) or (Catalan) is a masculine given name of Latin origin (, , , and so on). Its Portuguese form is . Its patronymic is (). Already in the Middle Ages the name was being confused with the similar but distinct name Munio.
The meaning of ...
(c. 1490–1558), founder of
Guadalajara, Mexico
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaja ...
* Isabel Muñoz-Caravaca (1838–1915), teacher, writer and labour activist.
* (1852–1889), pharmacist, linguist and botanist.
* (1852–1916), Countess of Vega del Pozo and Duchess of Sevillano.
*
Jose de Creeft
José Mariano de Creeft (November 27, 1884 - September 11, 1982) was a Spanish-born American artist, sculptor, and teacher known for modern sculpture in stone, metal, and wood, particularly figural works of women. His 16 ft bronze ''Alice i ...
(1884–1982), famous sculptor born in Guadalajara.
*
José Ortiz-Echagüe
José Ortiz-Echagüe (2 August 1886 in Province of Guadalajara, Guadalajara – 7 September 1980 in Madrid) was a Spanish entrepreneur, industrial and military engineer, pilot and photographer, founder of Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA, Construcc ...
(1886–1980), military engineer and photographer, honorary lifetime president of
SEAT
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair (furniture), ...
and founder of CASA.
*
Antonio Buero Vallejo
Antonio Buero Vallejo (September 29, 1916 – April 29, 2000) was a Spanish playwright associated with the Generation of '36 movement and considered the most important Spanish dramatist of the Spanish Civil War.
Biography
During his career ...
Museum of Guadalajara
The Museum of Guadalajara ( es, link=no, Museo de Guadalajara, also ''Museo Provincial de Guadalajara'') is a State-owned museum in Guadalajara, Spain. Opened in 1838, it is the oldest provincial museum in the country. It features sections of Fi ...