Birthplace of Cervantes (Alcalá de Henares)

The exact location of Cervantes' birthplace was debated for centuries, with a 19th-century tradition placing it at the site of the present-day Teatro Salón Cervantes on the streets of Santiago and Tahona. In 1948, historian Luis Astrana Marín published his research identifying the current site on Calle Mayor as the true location, a property owned by Cervantes' aunt María where the family lived until moving to Valladolid around 1551. Following this discovery, the Alcalá de Henares City Council purchased the property in 1954 and ceded it to the State. The museum was inaugurated in 1956 as the Cervantes Museum and Library. In 1985, ownership was transferred to the Madrid City Council, which undertook extensive renovations between 1997 and 2003 to update the facilities while preserving original elements.

The museum's holdings are divided into two primary documentary collections available for consultation. The bibliographic collection comprises Cervantine editions published between the 17th and 21st centuries, including works in various languages displayed in the temporary exhibition hall. The museographic collection features pieces and objects associated with the medical profession of Cervantes' father, Rodrigo de Cervantes, alongside artifacts illustrating the daily life of an affluent 16th and 17th century Spanish family. This includes period furniture, ceramics, etchings, paintings, and everyday household utensils.

Among the notable items in the collection is a scarce copy of the 1605 first edition of Don Quixote, published outside the control of the author and printer Francisco de Rojas due to the book's immediate success. The museum also preserves a 1620 English translation of the novel by William Stansby and Thomas Shelton. Period artifacts include a 16th-century bookrest and desk, a 17th-century upholstered velvet armchair, a mid-17th-century brazier, golden lusterware from Manises, a silver bronze reliquary from the early 17th century, and a carved ivory crucifix. The surgery room displays Rodrigo de Cervantes' medical instruments, including a barber's chair inspired by gout stools used by Spanish monarchs, and the dining room features ornamental tiles similar to those at the Escorial monastery alongside Talavera and Puente del Arzobispo ceramics.

The current building is a two-story reconstruction completed in 1956, designed to evoke the canons of a traditional Castilian-Toledan house. It sits at the corner of Calle Mayor and Calle de la Imagen, adjacent to the Hospital de Antezana where Rodrigo de Cervantes likely worked. The renovation added a garden and shifted the main entrance to Calle Mayor, replacing the former entrance on Imagen Street. The interior is arranged around a columned courtyard featuring an original stone well. The lower gallery is supported by eight columns with Corinthian capitals from the Episcopal Palace of Alcalá de Henares, while the upper gallery features wooden posts and a wooden balustrade. The 1997 to 2003 renovations incorporated an annex building, restored frescoes in the surgery room dating to the mid-16th century, and updated the climate control and roofing.

The museum is located at Calle Mayor 48 in Alcalá de Henares, within the Community of Madrid. It is easily accessible on foot from the city's main train station and Plaza de Cervantes. General admission is free for individual visitors, though group tours may require prior reservation. The museum is generally open Tuesday through Sunday, with hours varying by season. A typical visit lasts between 45 minutes and one hour. The institution hosts a comprehensive program of cultural activities, including workshops for children and teenagers, thematic visits, theatrical and musical shows, and conferences, with special emphasis on dates like the Day of the Book on April 23, International Museum Day on May 18, and Cervantes Week around October 9.