Valencia is a city that has become a worldwide reference for the combination of its art-nouveau architecture and its zeal to gain international prominence. This is demonstrated by events such as the sailing competition The America’s Cup or the new urban Formula 1 Grand Prix, that have transformed the character of the metropolis adapting it to modern times, looking at the sea and the future with ease and self-confidence. The objective of this route is to know the new slant of a dynamic Valencia and to reveal the zeal of the city to welcome the 21st century.
Our route begins in the City of Arts and Sciences, ultra-modern cutlural site with the unmistakable stamp of Valencia’s most internationally acclaimed architect, Santiago Calatrava, and which is located at the mouth of the old course of the river Turia. This architectural grouping consists of a number of different buildings each of an individual style and integrated into a common ambience, the site is still in development as there are yet more spaces that are awaiting execution.
The first of the buildings because it is the oldest, dates from 1998 and is the Hemisféric, boasting an IMAX cinema, a planetarium and laser projection facilities. This building, in the form of an eye, is surrounded by a modernist space with open-air water pools that provide an unmatched light and purity throughout the site.
Beside the Hemisféric is the Prince Phillip Science Museum, a museum with an appearance like that of a dinosaur’s skeleton, and which houses a permanent interactive exhibition in its interior, as well as different multi-use rooms. A large Foucault pendulum of 30 metres length welcomes visitors to this building, site of the Campus Party since the year 2000, the largest congregation of internet users in Europe.
The garden of the Umbracle covered by arches and in whose interior native plant species of the Community of Valencia are cultivated, serves as a space from which to observe the entire complex where the Oceanográfic stands out, the largest aquarium on the old continent where hundreds of marine species share 42 million litres of water.
The last of the functioning buildings is the Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts, an overwhelming building on the other side of the Monteolivete bridge with an opera season of the highest calibre, and with its own in house orchestra. It has five halls and is dedicated to the performing arts.
At this end of the impressive compound, the construction of three towers Alicante, Valencia y Castellón is planned (the three regions of the Valencian region), which will be, with an average height of 300 metres each, the highest skyscrapers in Spain.
More centrally located but also in the old course of the Turia river, the Palace of Music is another example of the leap to modernity in Valencia. The stage of orchestral musical interpretations, this avant-guarde building is located in a priveleged section of the riverbed, surrounded by fountains and greenery.
Having discovered the most modern aspect of the Turia riverbed, that can be appreciated with anything from a long walk to a couple of days of more detailed touring, we now propose a visit to the port facilities. Renovated and hugely expanded for the most recent 32nd America’s Cup sailing competition in 2007, the sailing competition with the greatest tradition in the world that will again take place in Valencia on its next occassion, and have its headquarters in the important commecial port, Valenciaport (the Spanish port that completes the most transactions). Valenciaport shares ownership with the Valencia Superyacht Marina, the Marina Real Juan Carlos I and the Port America’s Cup. The latter has been the subject of an ample reform that has provided the tourist and the native alike the opportunity to stroll extensively about the port compound, which is currently home to bars, pubs, and houses buildings such as Veles e Vents, a true exponent of competitive sailing, of a modern and innovative character.
Situated in the Cortes Valencianas Avenue and work of Sir Norman Foster, the Congresses Palace displays the thrust of the city to become the stage for grand events of all kinds, it is thought of as one of the city’s most emblematic buildings for its contemporary character and functionality. The professional world finds a building focussed on supporting it in the Valencia Fair, at no more than five minutes along the Ademuz road, and being the largest exhibition centre in Spain, with eight independent pavillions it hosts nearly a hundred fairs and conferences a year.