Alameda de Cervantes Park in Soria

The Parque Alameda de Cervantes is the largest and oldest park in Soria, located in the very center of the city, opposite Plaza de Mariano Granados and next to Paseo del Espolón. The park covers an area of almost ten hectares and is home to over a hundred species of trees and shrubs. It is an ideal place for a walk, rest, play, or reading, as it offers many attractions and services for visitors.

The park is triangular in shape and is surrounded by a stone wall, on which there are beautiful iron grates and decorative finials. Along the wall, there are ten side entrances and one main one, which leads to Plaza de Mariano Granados. At the main entrance, there is an inscription “Alameda de Cervantes” and the city’s coat of arms, as well as the date 1905, when the park changed its name from “La Dehesa” to “Alameda de Cervantes”, in honor of the third anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote.

Inside the park, you can admire the diversity of landscape and vegetation, which changes depending on the season. In the park, there are long avenues with chestnut trees, plane trees, linden trees, poplars, and other trees, which provide shade and shelter for walkers. The park also has two outdoor libraries, where you can borrow books and magazines for free, two chapels, one dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and the other to St. Anthony of Padua, where you can pray or light a candle.

One of the most beautiful places in the park is Rosaleda, a garden full of roses in various colors and varieties, which blooms in spring and summer. Rosaleda is rectangular in shape and is surrounded by high boxwood hedges. In the middle, there is a fountain with a stone sculpture depicting three girls holding baskets of roses. Rosaleda is a place where flower competitions and exhibitions take place, as well as romantic dates and photo sessions.

Another interesting place in the park is Árbol de la Música, or Tree of Music, which is a symbol of the park and the city. It is a large plane tree, which is over 200 years old and over 30 meters high. Its name comes from the fact that concerts and music recitals take place under its branches, especially in the summer period. The Tree of Music is also a place of meetings and gatherings, where people sing, dance, play, and have fun.

Parque Alameda de Cervantes is not only a park but also a stage of culture and history of Soria. Here, various events and festivals take place, such as Expoesía, International Poetry Festival, or Campeonato Nacional de Duatlón, Spanish Duathlon Championships.

Here, some activities related to the fiesta San Juan and San Saturio also take place, such as fireworks displays, processions, and parades. Here, there are also monuments and plaques commemorating important figures and events related to the city, such as Antonio Machado, Leonor Izquierdo, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, or the Battle of Almansa.

Parque Alameda de Cervantes is certainly one of the places worth visiting to enjoy the nature, culture, and tradition of this city. It is a park for everyone, where you can find peace, fun, knowledge, and inspiration. It is a park that lives and breathes together with the city and its inhabitants.