Alcázar de San Juan

Alcázar de San Juan
Municipality

Old windmills.

Flag
Coat of arms
Alcázar de San Juan

Location in Spain.

Coordinates: 39°24′20″N 3°12′20″W / 39.40556°N 3.20556°W / 39.40556; -3.20556
Country  Spain
Autonomous community Castile-La Mancha
Province Ciudad Real
Comarca Campo de San Juan
Judicial district Alcázar de San Juan
Commonwealth Promancha
Government
 • Mayor Diego Ortega (PP)
Area
 • Total 666.78 km2 (257.45 sq mi)
Elevation 644 m (2,113 ft)
Population (2009)
 • Total 30,675
 • Density 46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Alcazareños
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 13600
Website Official website

Alcázar de San Juan (often called simply Alcázar or Alcázar de Consuegra) is a town and municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is located in the plain of La Mancha.

History

Its name is taken from an old moorish fortress (al-qaSsr in Arabic language), which was afterwards garrisoned by the knights of St John (San Juan in Spanish language).

Much of the action of Cervantes' Don Quixote takes place around Alcázar. The village of El Toboso was the home of the Lady Dulcinea del Toboso; Argamasilla de Alba is declared by tradition to be the birthplace of the original of Don Quixote himself.

Alcázar de San Juan was a main railway hub. The famous Third Mixed Brigade (Tercera Brigada Mixta) of the Spanish Republican Army was established in Alcázar de San Juan in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.[1]

Main sights

Holy Trinity Church.
Saint Francis Church.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ SBHAC - Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular, 3ª Brigada Mixta

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.