The town of Alcalá de Guadaira is located in the Campiña district just 10 kilometres southeast of Sevilla. The town used to be famously known as Alcalá de los Panaderos or Alcalá of the bakers because it was the main provider of bread in Sevilla. The watermills that flourished along the banks of the Guadaira were used to produce the flour, but most of them now lay in ruins.

 

Nowadays, Alcalá de Guadaira is more famous for its majestic castle as well as the extensive defensive walls. In fact the town got its name from Arabic word “al-kalat”, which means castle. This castle is one of the most prominent fortifications in the province of Sevilla and was built by the Almohads. Modifications were later made in the mid 13th century when the Christians conquered the town.

The Chalcolithic dolmens that were discovered at the El Gandul archaeological site are evidence of settlements since prehistoric times. The village origins go back to the Tartessians and the ruins of one of the bridges over the Guadaira river dates back from that period.

 

In the year 1244, Abén-Alamar, the King of Granada handed over the city to Fernando III. In 1253 it was placed under the Sevilla jurisdiction by Alphonso X and the residents of the city were entitled to the same privileges and facilities as the citizens of Sevilla. Later, Alphonso XI also gave the village several tax exemptions and other privileges.

 

However under the Christians, Alcalá de Guadaira lost its newly-found economic prosperity, only to regain it some time in the 20th century, after the mechanization of agriculture and the growth of industry in Sevilla.

The Museo de la Real Maestranza, Museum of Popular Costumes and Fine Arts Museum Sevilla are just a few of the museums that are worth a visiting during your stay in Alcalá de Guadaira.

 

Head on over to the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Piziuán if you would like to catch some of the sporting action. This large stadium is also the venue for some huge music shows and concerts.

 

The 14th century Hermitage of Nuestra Señora del Aguila, built in the Mudejar style, was the only church until the construction of the church of San Miguel.

The castle is made up of the alcazar or the palace, patios, towers, gates and the ramparts of the ancient city.

The underground fountains consisted of 70 fountains that were shaped like a rock so that water could be carried to the Alcázar of Sevilla.

 

The majestic Hermitage of San Roque is situated atop the San Roque hill.

The façade of the 18th century pubic granary, Casa del Pósito features a tile of San Mateo, who was the patron saint of this city.

 

Some of the other interesting monuments in Alcalá de Guadaira include the Casa del Posito, the Castle of Marchenilla, the church of San Sebastian, the church of Santiago, the Palace of Gandul and the many flour mills that were built along the river banks.

 

Alcalá de Guadaira offers many opportunities for trekking with plenty of interesting routes. If you head out of the city in the direction of Dos Hermanas, you can trek along a route that is parallel to the Guadaira River and see the many windmills across on the other side.

 

There are plenty of well established campsites in Alcalá de Guadaira including the Camino del Maestre Oromana, which located in the Natural place of Oromana, Los Naranjos and Arco Iris. All campsites offer basic amenities and comforts and a variety of adventure sports including paintball.

 

2 kilometres  away, on the road to Utera is the Hacienda La Boticaria, a sumptuous five-star rural hotel that is constructed on a country estate.

Alcalá de Guadaira is undoubtedly an industrial town. It industrial heritage had its beginnings in the watermills that were built by the Moors along the banks of the River Guadaira.

 

These mills were used for grinding the grain that was grown here and the flour was distributed to all the bakers in and around the area, which led to the city’s reputation as the “bread basket” of Sevilla.

 

The other major industry was olive processing. In the early 20th century there were as many as twelve factories involved with olive processing. Many thousands of workers, mainly women, were employed by these factories for getting the olives prepared for sale after they had been properly cured.

 

Although both, the flour milling and olive processing industries have fallen into decline, they have been replaced by several modern light and heavy industries. The west and north of the municipality currently feature numerous industrial estates that provide enough employment for local residents as well as for inhabitants of nearby local towns.

Eating in Alcalá de Guadaira can be an inexpensive treat. Plenty of restaurants offer a wide variety of local and international cuisines.

 

The fried fish, a local specialty, is mouth-wateringly delicious and so is the gazpacho, an exquisite cold vegetable soup that popular in every region in Spain.

 

Visitors need to keep in mind that restaurants here open late in the day and are open until late in the night. Tapas bars and restaurants are everywhere and offer visitors the perfect way to sample a variety of local cuisine. The traditional way of eating tapas, is by pointing a finger to the piece you’d like to taste next and keep a running tab until you have had your fill and are ready to pay the bill.

Night life in Alcalá de Guadaira offers a wide range of possibilities. The Argote de Molina Street and The Alameda in the Santa Cruz district are perfect for starting off your night.

 

The Marqués de Paradas Adriano and Julio César streets around the former Plaza de Armas station offer plenty of good nightclubs, bars and discotheques to party until the dawn.

 

The numerous terraced bars along the banks of the river are popular watering holes in summer.

A visit to Alcalá de Guadaira, just 10 kilometres away from Sevilla, offers you a completely different perspective of Spain.

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