Andújar . Excmo. Ayuntamiento

Andújar . Excmo. Ayuntamiento is the seat of the municipal government of Andújar, a town in the province of Jaén, and one of the most striking civic landmarks in this part of Andalusia. The building stands on the old market square, right beside the church of San Miguel, at the heart of the historic centre.

Why wasn't the town hall always a town hall?

The structure wasn't originally built for local government at all. It went up between 1620 and 1631 as a Casa de Comedias — a comedy theatre, the kind of venue common in Spanish towns during the Golden Age. For roughly fifty years it hosted stage performances, until 1680. That year, a plague outbreak that municipal records credit with around six thousand victims, combined with a broader economic and social crisis, brought the performances to a halt. The building lost its original purpose and spent the following decades mostly housing troops, a use that accelerated its physical decline.

What turned the old theatre into a town hall?

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, felt across much of the Iberian Peninsula, left the already weakened theatre building in a poor structural state. The damage was serious enough that town authorities used it as the trigger for a change of purpose. In 1787 they decided to move the Casa Consistorial — the town council's seat — into the building, and adaptation works began to convert the old theatre into an administrative headquarters.

Who gave the building its current look?

The decisive phase of the rebuild came in 1791, when Juan de la Mata Martínez carried out a design drawn up in 1788 by the noted court architect Manuel Martín Rodríguez. This is when the building took on its neoclassical character: austere, symmetrical façades and the balanced proportions typical of administrative architecture at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite the extensive rebuilding, the courtyard and part of the façade from the original 17th–18th century Casa de Comedias were preserved, making the building a kind of layered record of the town's architectural history.

What should visitors know before stopping by?

Officially known as the Palacio Municipal de Andújar, the building holds Bien de Interés Cultural status, Spain's highest level of heritage protection. Its position on the old market square, next to the church of San Miguel, is no coincidence: for centuries this spot was where the town's administrative, commercial and religious life converged, making it the natural civic centre of Andújar. Walking through the old town, it's worth pausing to notice the contrast between the classical exterior and the traces of the earlier baroque structure still visible around the courtyard.

Andújar itself ranks among the more significant towns in Jaén province, known for its proximity to the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park and for a history stretching back to Roman and Moorish times. The town hall makes a natural starting point for exploring the centre, with the church of San Miguel and other old-town landmarks just a short walk away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can visitors go inside the Andújar town hall? The building is an active seat of municipal government, so interior access can be limited to office hours and to times when no council sessions or official events are underway.

Why is it also called Palacio Municipal? That's its official name, reflecting the monumental, palace-like appearance it acquired during the neoclassical rebuild of the 18th century.

What did the building originally house? A Casa de Comedias — a theatre that staged performances from around 1620/1631 until 1680, when a plague outbreak and economic crisis brought the shows to an end.

Is the building protected as a heritage site? Yes, the Palacio Municipal de Andújar carries Bien de Interés Cultural status, Spain's top category of cultural heritage protection.