Villanueva de la Cañada

Villanueva de la Cañada is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Located 30 km north-west from Madrid, the municipality covers an area of 34.92 km2. Geographically, it sits on a large plain, in which there are several promontories, on one of which is found the castle of Aulencia, its main landmark. The ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre lies close to the former, on the Guadarrama riverfront. Villafranca del Castillo, a well-off urban area detached from the main nucleus, is located within the municipal bounds. Villanueva de la Cañada hosts the main campus of the Alfonso X El Sabio University as well as the Aquópolis waterpark.