Alcala de Henares
Alcala de Henares is a Spanish city which means Citadel, on the river Henares. This city is famous for its world heritage sites, one being the first episcopate in Spain. This city can be found in an independent area of Madrid. It has a population of about 200,000, being the second largest area after Madrid itself. Today people usually just refer to the city as Alcala instead of the full name Alcala de Henares.
The concentrated area of the city remains basically medieval today, with many historic buildings. The city centre known as Plaza de Cervantes (Cervantes Square) surrounds the well and is off the main street of Calle Mayor. The old city has been well conserved, unlike its surroundings. Hardly anything has been destroyed or cleared in this city since the time it was built!
Alcala de Henares was dominated in the 1st century by the Romans, as most of the cities at that time, but Alcala was the only city within the Madrid area that was conquered. With about 10,000 citizens at this time, it was considered as the Municipium and was able to come up with its own governing system. After the partial fall of the Roman Empire, which was under the Visgoths, the population declined drastically. However it did become a pilgrimage journey for Pastor and Saints Justo.
More people eventually pilgrimage their way over to Alcala de Henares. The climate in Alcala and most of central Spain is Mediterranean, having dry seasons twice a year round, cold and dry in the winter and hot and dry in the summer; however in the spring and fall it rains, the temperature usually just ranges from 0 degree C to 40 degrees C all year.
18% of the population of Alcala is of foreign origin, taken from official data of Alcala; about 30% of its population emigrated from Eastern Europe and it also has a large number of Chinese businesses established. According to official documents of Spain it is the largest area of Romanian immigrants in Spain, having over 22,000 immigrants settled down from there. Therefore, Alcala finds itself dipped in the festivities celebrated every year by the Romanian people in Alcala de Henares.
Each year witnesses a growth in the population of Alcala because of the innumerable things available, which could be done in Alcala, from its festive activities to its wonderful museums. To top it up, Alcala de Henares is the perfect city for everyone!