Chapel of the Oidor, Alcalá de Henares

The exhibition that reaches the hometown of Azaña is an adaptation of what was done in the National Library between December 17, 2020 and April 4 and is organized by this body, in addition to the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Spanish Cultural Action and the City of Alcalá de Henares.

The exhibition presents a complete image of Manuel Azaña, in his triple dimension: human, intellectual and political, highlighting, in addition to his work as minister, head of the Government and president of the Republic, his status as an intellectual of prestige.

Azaña: intellectual and statesman delves into three crucial stages in the history of Spain: the Second Republic, the Civil War and Exile. The exhibition showcases about two hundred pieces from different Spanish and foreign institutions and from private collections. For this exhibition, photographs and videos have been rescued, very little known, which allow us to approach not only the figure and the work of Azaña, but also the memory of his time.

The young Manuel Azaña became involved in the life of Alcalaina by founding magazines and newspapers, from there he made the leap to the Ateneo de Madrid, of which he was Secretary and President, and from which he did a great job in defense of the allied cause during the Great War. He collaborated in different newspapers, directed the magazine España and founded the literary magazine La Pena. He received the National Prize for Literature in 1926 for a work on Juan Valera and was a notable translator of English and French.

In its political dimension, Azaña is one of the main promoters of the arrival of the Republic in April 1931. The great debates of the period have their outstanding, and sometimes controversial, intervention: the Statute of Catalonia, the Agrarian Reform, the religious question or the vote of women. Not in vain, the Republic was identified with Azaña and Azaña with the Republic.

Opening hours are from Tuesday to Saturday, from 11:00 to 14:00 hours and from 16:00 to 19:00 hours.
Sundays and holidays, from 11:00 to 14:00 hours.
Admission is free, with limited capacity.