The Laredo Palace in Alcalá de Henares: the Complutense whim

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If you go to Alcalá de Henares by train, you will walk along the Paseo de la Estación to get to the centre. On this walk, you will surely be struck by a curious building made of exposed brick with a clock tower like a minaret. Its play of volumes and its neo-Mudejar decoration, with that tower topped by a dome of green and white ceramic “scales”, are not made to go unnoticed. It may even remind you a little of Gaudí’s Capricho, in Comillas. No, you are not in front of a work by the great Catalan modernist architect. But you are in front of the whim of another architect from the same period, although much less known: Manuel José de Laredo y Ordoño. And this peculiar palace has taken his name: Palacio Laredo or Palacio de Laredo .

Laredo Palace Alcala de Henares Kings Hall Salto
Every time we pass by there we stop to look at it, but whatsapp number data we never considered, for some reason, that we could go inside and visit it. Until our last visit to the city of Cervantes. It was then that we discovered that it is possible and that this decorative madness is still inside the building…

Come with us and get excited about your next trip to the city.


Saltaconmyadvice
Don't just stay at the Laredo Palace and take a look at our 10 places to see in Alcalá de Henares –the palace is one of them, of course–. And, while you're at it, don't forget to look for your place to eat in Alcalá de Henares , or everything you need to know about the other great icon of the city: the University of Alcalá .

Visiting the Laredo Palace in Alcalá de Henares: times and prices
The Laredo Palace now belongs to the Alcalá de Henares City Council, which has ceded it to the University of Alcalá, which also manages its visits.



Laredo Palace Alcala de Henares Exterior
The price of the visit is symbolic: only 1 €. Visiting hours : every day from 10:30 to 14:00 – last entry at 13:30 – in the morning and from 16:30 to 19:00 – last entry at 18:30 – in the afternoon. There used to be guided tours for 2.5 € on weekends, but due to the coronavirus pandemic they have been cancelled, although it is still posted on the website , which is not up to date. In any case, it is a good idea to contact them by phone or email – both are on the same website – in case there is any news.

Laredo Palace Alcala de Henares Founding Act
A bit of history
Manuel José de Laredo y Ordoño, Basque by birth and descendant of an important Aragonese lineage, arrived in Madrid in the second half of the 19th century, where he trained at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts. As well as being passionate about history and a collector of antiques, he was a very versatile artist: not only an architect, he was also a painter, engraver, decorator and even a stage designer and restorer. He had everything! He came to Alcalá de Henares because of his passion for history and restoration, which led him to rehabilitate some emblematic buildings in the city. Later he became a councillor and mayor.

Laredo Palace Alcala de Henares Entrance
Did you know that…?
In 1879 Laredo collaborated on the project for the iconic statue dedicated to Miguel de Cervantes that stands in the central Plaza Cervantes.

In 1880 he bought some land near the train station to build a recreational estate that would become his home: the Laredo Palace . He finished it in 1884 and gave free rein to all his imagination and love of history.