http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/alcala_principes_ciudad_mosaico_culturas_901854.htm
Alcala, city mosaic of cultures, opens the doors Princes
The Alcalá de Henares that will receive the Princes of Asturias next Friday, the 2nd of June, is a city that 2.000 years after the creation like Cómplutum-efeméride that is commemorated this year - the multiculturalidad continues taking as one of principal stamps of identity.
A characteristic that already was demonstrated in the Middle Ages, with the pacific living together of Jews, Moors and Christians and that today, in the beginning of the XXIst century, is kept provided that this city of 205.000 inhabitants is the second one in number of immigrants of the whole Community of Madrid.
The immigrants suppose at present more than 16 per cent of the total population and the trend continues in increase.
Poles and, in minor measurement, Rumanians and citizens proceeding from Europa's countries of the East, principally, have come to Alcala de Henares in the last years looking for a few better conditions of life and they have found them thanks to the character opened of a society who already in the decade of the 60s of last century could receive to the migratory internal movements that took place of massive form in Spain.
These elements do of the city that aspires to be the capital of the culture in the Community of Madrid a mosaic of cultures that coexist and join and, even, they have could assimilate up to turning out to be almost imperceptible.
Anyhow, this multiculturalidad does not deprive him by no means of identity and this one comes given, especially, by quality as the only City Patrimony of the Humanity of the region of Madrid, title that it shows from the year 1998 and that one has supposed before and one later in the configuration and development.
This beautiful city that the cardinal was dreaming Cisneros and was giving to light the first interview of Colon with the Kings Católicos before his first trip towards the ' New World ', encloses exchequers that little by little are started discovering.
The Rectorado of the University of Alcala, which front was ordered Cisneros constructed for the cardinal in 1537, one masterpiece of the celebrated architect Gil de Hontañón, in which Auditorium, every year, the Kings of Spain deliver the Prize Cervantes; or the Corral of Comedies, considered the most ancient theatre of Europe, since it dates back of 1601, they are two of the jewels of this great patrimonial exchequer.
But not everything is a stone in the history and the culture places, because if of something Alcala is proud it is of having been the cradle of the most universal writer of the Castilian letters: Migueel of Cervantes, saint and sign of identity of village that it celebrates every year his 'San Cervantes' on October 9, coinciding with the date of his baptism.
Don Felipe and Dona Letizia will visit the Corral, San Ildefonso's college and the Natal House - museum of Cervantes and will be able to contemplate in it some of the more original and ancient copies of the 'Quijote', since in this place one guards one of the most important collections.
Everything is not spent.The city also is full of present. With an active population who patrols 150.000 persons, Alcala de Henares has grown in the last years more than six per cent in industrial activity and receives every time major number of tourists.
