It takes just over 40 minutes to travel back thousands of years in time: that’s how long it takes to drive from Madrid to the Ciudad de Complutum Archaeological Park in Alcalá de Henares— the most important archaeological site open to the public in the Community of Madrid and the origin of the city of Complutum as we know it today.
Of the various archaeological remains that make up the site, the Roman City of Complutum—which dates back to the 1st century B.C., during the reign of Emperor Augustus—has left for posterity an invaluable record of what life was like in that era.
Not only that: it also sheds light on the knowledge and conception of urban planning held by both the Greeks and the Romans, who designed cities with “straight streets on orderly grids, porticoes, forums, public baths, private homes of refined taste, and cosmopolitan citizens,” according to the managers of Complutum.
Thus, more than two thousand years after its foundations were laid, you can walk—completely free of charge—along the original layout of the Roman city of Complutum, with its decumani (as the east-west road axes were called) and cardo (north-south axes), as well as other spaces such as the forum, the market square, or the curia.
The House of the Grifos and its collection of Roman wall paintings
In addition to the Roman City of Complutum, there are other archaeological sites within the complex that are also open to the public free of charge.
This is the case, for example, with the House of the Griffins,“a private stately home that housed the finest collection of Roman wall paintings on the Iberian Peninsula.” It is precisely the spectacular paintings found in one of the rooms, depicting two griffins—mythological creatures half eagle and half lion—that ultimately gave the site its name.
You can also visit the House of Hippolytus—in whose courtyard you can admire an impressive mosaic depicting a fishing scene—as well as the fountains of El Juncal and La Salud and the Punte de Zulema.
Visiting hours and location of the Complutum site
Both the Roman City of Complutum (Camino del Juncal Street at the corner of Jiménez de Quesada Street) and the House of the Grifos and the House of Hippolytus (Avenida de Madrid S/N) can be visited during the following hours:
- Fall/Winter Hours (October through April): 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Closed on Mondays, except for public holidays.
- Summer hours (May through September): 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on Mondays, except for public holidays.
In addition, every Saturday at 10 a.m., free guided tours of the site are organized until capacity is reached (30 people on a first-come, first-served basis). The tour lasts approximately one hour, with the meeting point at the Guide’s booth.