Valencia

History

How the city came to be

Valencia's Roman city, Valentia, was founded in 138 BC, and the centre of the old town still retains recognisable early urban layers. The later succession from the Islamic period to the Christian kingdom of the 13th century repeatedly reorganised religious, street and civic spaces. In the 15th century Mediterranean trade flourished, and the construction of the Silk Exchange concentrated the economic strength of merchants and civil society; it was built between 1482 and 1533 and inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1996. The market tradition of the old town also continued into modern times, and the Central Market opened in 1928. From the 20th century the city's cultural buildings spread beyond the old town, and the City of Arts and Sciences became a new landmark. The Fallas, meanwhile, bring each neighbourhood into public life every March with large art installations, parades and fireworks; during the festival many roads change how traffic moves. To understand Valencia, you can see the continuity of a commercial city in the Exchange and the market, and observe how local communities use public space between contemporary architecture and the Fallas.

1. 138 BCThe Romans founded Valentia here.
2. 1238The Christian kingdom took Valencia, and the city's religious and public spaces were continually reshaped.
3. 1482–1533The Silk Exchange complex was gradually completed.
4. 1928Today's Central Market building opened.
5. 1996The Silk Exchange was inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
6. Late 20th to early 21st centuryThe contemporary architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences gradually became a new city landmark.

Stories

Stories of the city