Cervantes Birthplace Museum
The Cervantes Birthplace Museum is located in the historic center of Alcalá de Henares and recreates the environment where the writer grew up. The house centers around a courtyard with a well and contains family living spaces, work rooms, and bedrooms furnished with period furniture, ceramics, and paintings from the 1500s and 1600s.
Miguel de Cervantes was born and raised in this house during the 1500s. The building was purchased by the city in 1954 and opened as a museum in 1956 after extensive restoration work to recreate the environment of that historical period.
The house reflects the life of a surgeon's family in the 1500s, with modest furnishings that show how people actually lived during that era. The rooms reveal the everyday practices and social structure of the period, from the work space to the family's private quarters.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday with free admission for all visitors. Guided tours are available to help explain the house layout and provide deeper insight into Cervantes' life and the period furnishings.
The well in the central courtyard is an original feature from Cervantes' time and demonstrates how water was collected and used in daily life. This functional element offers a tangible connection to practical survival in the past.
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