Guadalajara ( , )
is a city and municipality in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, located in the autonomous community of
Castilla–La Mancha. It is the capital of the
Province of Guadalajara.
Guadalajara lies on the central part of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
at roughly metres above sea level. Most of the city housing is located on the left (southern bank) of the
Henares, in between the river and the moors of
La Alcarria. In addition to the city, the municipality also includes the villages of
Iriépal,
Taracena, , and . , Guadalajara has a registered population of 93,470, which makes it the region's second most populated
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
.
Founded in the 9th century as Madīnat al-Faraŷ under the
Emirate of Córdoba, it became a stronghold of the Masmuda Berber clan of the Banū Sālim. After Christian conquest in 1085 from the
Taifa of Toledo, it grew into becoming a sizeable town of the
Crown of Castile under control of the
Mendoza family. It was a hub for mystical
iluminismo in the 16th century in the
Kingdom of Toledo. Depopulation and decay of key economy parametres ensued in the 17th century. Growth in the 21st century was caused by its closeness to the functional urban area of
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
.
History
Alleged identification with Arriaca
A Roman town called ''Arriaca'', possibly founded by a pre-Roman culture, is suggested 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 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 North Region, Portugal, northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now ...
. The city was on the high road from Emerita (modern
Mérida) to Caesaraugusta (modern
Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
), 22 M. P. northeast of Complutum (modern
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish municipality of the Community of Madrid. Housing is primarily located on the right (north) bank of the Henares River, Henares. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated Municip ...
).
Early Middle Ages
The founding of Guadalajara, 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 Al-Ḥijāra (), possibly meaning "Valley of Stones" (as in
river gravel); in theory it may be a literal translation of the Iberian name ''Arriaca''. It has also been proposed that ''Ḥajāra'' should not be understood as 'stones'/'gravel', but in the sense of 'castles' or 'fortified rocks'.
Wādī Al-Ḥijāra and its surroundings were part of the Middle March of Al-Andalus, controlled by the
Masmuda 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 Spain built during Al-Andalus, Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for governmental figures throughout ...
'' (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 Wādī Al-Ḥijāra (reportedly because the local population resented their rule) by
Abd al-Rahman III, who attempted to directly rule the territory.

The city was part of the territory annexed by
Alfonso VI of León and Castile in the 1085 conquest of the
Taifa of Toledo, with Wādī Al-Ḥijāra 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 ( – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and ruler in medieval Spain. Fighting both with Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ("the Lord" or "the Master"), which would evolve i ...
) seized the city on 24 June, at night.
The area was repopulated with people from the North (
Castilians from the mountains and
Merindades,
Basques
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
and
Navarreses mainly).
Alfonso VII 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 ...
'' on 3 May 1133. This charter progressively incorporated several amendments. The second ''fuero'', probably conceived during the reign of
Alfonso VIII, 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. 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, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...
(r. 1253-1284), the protection of the king allowed the city to develop its economy by protecting merchants and allowing markets.
Rule of the Mendozas
Traditionally a ' ('royal demesne') town, with a vote in the Cortes of Castile, the town came under the influence of the powerful
Mendoza family 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, also known as Marqués de
Santillana (1398–1458), and
Pedro González de Mendoza (1428–1495), Great Cardinal of Spain and adviser of the
Catholic Monarchs.
The Mendoza family held the title of Dukes and Duchesses of
El Infantado 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'') in the
Kingdom of Toledo, linked to heterodox religious figures such as
Isabel de la Cruz and
María de Cazalla.
In the context of the
Revolt of the Comuneros 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.
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, 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 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 fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...
, 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 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 (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
(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 (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
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
Compañía de los Ferrocarriles de Madrid a Zaragoza y Alicante, MZA) on 3 May 1859.
Conversely, the Guadalajara–
Jadraque 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 (10,581). The 20th century saw the construction of the current water supply system bringing the waters of the
Sorbe 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 () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
(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) seized 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 Francoists; the most famous, in December 1936, struck the Palacio del Infantado.
On 8 March 1937, the four divisions of the Italian
Corpo Truppe Volontarie (CTV), attacked Republican positions outside Guadalajara as a supporting diversionary attack supporting the Nationalist
Jarama Offensive began at the beginning of February. After four days of a slow, cautious advance during rainy weather, the tanks started attacking along paved roads and outran the air and anti-aircraft artillery support. Shortly thereafter, Republican airplanes in newly clear skies found the tanks and infantry in a traffic jam on the main road into Guadalajara. The Republican aircraft attacked and destroyed all the vehicles in the mechanized spearhead. The CTV retreated with casualties in the thousands. Ernest Hemingway labeled the attack "Italian débâcle at Guadalajara." As a result of the victory, Republican forces enjoyed an increase in recruitment.
This defeat at Guadalajara had two long-standing effects. First, the Italian Army of the Mussolini dictatorship acquired a reputation for incompetence that lasted until the armistice of 1943. Second, some observing nations adopted a 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 for alleviating 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, including in Guadalajara. Since then, Guadalajara has been one of the fast-growing Spanish cities.
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 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.
Geography
Location
Guadalajara is located in the central part of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
, 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, 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 km
2.
Climate
Guadalajara enjoys a
cold semi-arid climate (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
: ''BSk'') bordering on a
mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(Köppen: ''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 municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
, the basic level of local division in Spain. The
Ayuntamiento 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 corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
. The last municipal election took place on 26 May 2019. Since June 2019, the current mayor is
Alberto Rojo Blas (
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).
Demographics
Urban area
The 2020 report on urban areas in Spain published by the
Ministry of Transports, Mobility and Urban Agenda identifies an
urban area
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
formed by the municipality of Guadalajara together with the neighbouring municipalities of
Azuqueca de Henares,
Alovera,
Cabanillas del Campo,
Marchamalo,
Villanueva de la Torre and
Chiloeches, 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'' in 1924, and currently serves as the auditorium of the
University of Alcalá. 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
(, ; from the Arabic ) is a form of Portuguese and Spanish painted Tin-glazing, tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of church (building), churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, r ...
s in the Iberian Peninsula housed in their buildings, since the city housed the largest collection of azulejos from
Talavera de la Reina pottery; 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 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 and commissioned to Maria Diega Desmaissières.
Transport
Guadalajara is served by two railway stations:
*
Guadalajara railway station, located in the city centre and part of the classical railway lines, e.g., connecting
Chamartín to
Portbou/
Cerbère.
*
Guadalajara–Yebes railway station, located at the South-East of Guadalajara, on the
Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line.
Sports
The local men's football team,
CD Guadalajara, currently play at the
Tercera División, the fourth tier of the Spanish football system. Their home pitch is the
Pedro Escartín.
The
BM Guadalajara play at the
ASOBAL league, the top tier of the men's handball system in Spain. Their home fixtures are played at the
Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara. Guadalajara was one of the host cities of the
2013 World Men's Handball Championship.
International relations
; Twin towns and sister cities
Guadalajara is
twinned with:
*
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
, Italy (since 1979)
*
Roanne, France (since 1980)
*
Parma, Italy (since 1982)
*
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
, Mexico (since 1982)
*
Nitra, Slovakia (since 1988)
*
Nuneaton, United Kingdom (since 1990)
*
Guadalajara de Buga, Colombia (since 1996)
; Other city partnerships
*
Nowy Sącz, 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 (c. 1490–1558), founder of
Guadalajara, Mexico
*
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 (1884–1982), famous sculptor born in Guadalajara.
*
José Ortiz-Echagüe
José Ortiz-Echagüe (2 August 1886 in Guadalajara – 7 September 1980 in Madrid) was a Spanish entrepreneur, industrial and military engineer, pilot and photographer, founder of Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) and Honorary lifetime Presi ...
(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 may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation.
Types of seat
The ...
and founder of CASA.
*
Antonio Buero Vallejo (1916–2000), 20th-century writer.
See also
*
Monument to Romanones (Guadalajara)
*
Museum of Guadalajara
References
; Informational notes
; Citations
; Bibliography
*
*
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*
*
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External links
*
Municipal Government
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha
Municipalities in the Province of Guadalajara
Roman sites in Spain