CPEPA Alfindén
Centro Público de Educación de Personas Adultas

Matricúlate

Our Adult Learning Centre

The transformation of the former Guardia Civil barracks into the educational heart of La Puebla de Alfindén.

From barracks to Centre of Knowledge

  • Headquarters: “Abdallá Musaire” Cultural Space

The building we occupy today once housed the local Guardia Civil barracks in La Puebla de Alfindén. At first glance, the name «Abdallá Musaire,» given to the building after its restoration, might seem unexpected.

 

To clarify: the Town Council that oversaw the entire renovation project, led by Mayor Carlos Moliné, the true driving force behind the initiative, chose this name as a warm tribute to the Mozarabic architect Abdallá Musaire. Musaire designed and built the tower of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (Nuestra Señora de la Asunción), a listed jewel of Aragonese Mudéjar architecture and a great source of local pride.

  • Origins and construction of the building (1944-1951)
The process to build the barracks began in 1944, when the Town Council, presided over by Mayor Mariano Moliné, offered land to the Guardia Civil (a national police force with military status). The building was completed and officially handed over to the Town Council in March 1951.
  • Decline and abandonment (1970s-1980s)

By the 1970s, changing living standards, political shifts, and general wear and tear led to the building’s decline.

 

Due to poor initial construction and minimal maintenance, the barracks became increasingly dysfunctional. By 1983, the deterioration was visible from the outside and unbearable within.

 

The building was in such a dilapidated state that the State relocated the officers to the neighbouring town of Alfajarín. Left abandoned, the building decayed rapidly, becoming a public health hazard and a safety risk due to the accumulation of waste and the danger of structural collapse.

  • Recovery and transformation (1990s)

In 1992, the Town Council began legal proceedings to reclaim the building. After a series of bureaucratic steps, the State agreed to a free transfer of the property.

 

In November 1993, the Council officially requested the transfer of the building to be used as an Adult Education Centre, Cultural Hub, and Vocational Training Workshops. The transfer was finalized in November 1994, covering an area of 2,121 m².

  • A historic full circle (1995 onwards)

In 1995, under the leadership of Mayor Carlos Moliné, restoration finally began. In a remarkable historical coincidence, the mayor who successfully campaigned to return the building to the town was the son of the mayor who had originally donated the land for its construction decades earlier.