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 [es], its main landmark. The ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre lies close to the former, on the Guadarrama riverfront. Villafranca del Castillo [es], 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.