València en Diapositives

In our city we have Roman vestiges and Arab States, Romanic monuments, Gothic and Italian Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism and still of Modernism. At last our architectural and historical heritage are treasures collectives wealth and an essential element of identity of all the valencian@s that we must know and enjoy. The promotion and dissemination of our history and architectural monuments is a task of all and that I practice with prideful and satisfaction.

My proposal is that you know better and love more our city, with the task satisfaction of culture, art and "valenciania". I suggest you to get closer to the history of the city of València, through the stages below indicate where you will see the historical keys that happened in every period of history.

Valentia (138 b.c.-711 a.d.)

Valentia is one of the oldest Roman cities of the Hispania. Founded in 138 B.C. it was filled with discharged soldiers from the army. The city rapidly prospered reaching to mint currency. However, in 75 BC, because of the civil wars in Rome, the city was destroyed and was abandoned for nearly half a century until its reconstruction during the reign of Augustus Caesar. In the second half of the 1st century A.D. the city grew decisively as new settlers arrived and new public buildings were constructed. However, in the decline of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century, entire districts of the city were abandoned. Afterwards, the city lived under the influence of the Visigoths after 546 AD. The city then became part of the Kingdom of Toledo in 571 AD, during the reign of Leovigildo. At this time, the church occupied positions of power as it emphasized the figure of Bishop Justinian, who sought a fleeting period of splendor.(Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

Puente de paso que une la Catedral con el Palacio Arzobispal

Balansiya (711-1238)

In 711 AD, a new era began Valencia linked to Islamic culture. The Medina began to grow in during the age of the Caliphate and achieved great development. In 1010 AD, the Medina became the capital of an independent Taifa kingdom.

El Cid took Balansiya in the late 11th century AD, but Almoravid Muslim rule was reinstated soon after his death in 1102 AD. From 1171 AD, Balansiya was governed by the Almohad Caliphate until 1238 AD, when it capitulated and became a Christian domain in the hands of Jaime I the Conqueror. (Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

Valencia in the Middle Ages (1238 - 1519)

After the conquest of King James I, Valencia entered a new phase of its history as the nucleus of the new Kingdom of Valencia. During the 14th century, Valencia suffered serious setbacks, as riots, the Black Death, and different wars unbalanced daily life in the city.
However, the dynamic and powerful economy of the city kept it from full decline. Because of this, the 15th century was a Golden Age for the city following the events of the 1300s. However, this early splendor broke during the 1500s due to financial decline and a crisis within the city’s guilds.(Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

From the Germanía Revolt to the Nueva Planta Decrees (1519 - 1707)

Valencia’s entry into modern era was marked by the Germanía Revolt, when the city’s guild leaders rose up against the nobility and the church hierarchy, gaining control Valencia between 1519 and 1520. The spirit of the Counter-Reformation ingrained the city’s desire for religious unity, culminating in 1609 with the order of the expulsion of the Moors. The grave economic crisis of the 17th century and the Black Death outbreak of 1647 caused numerous riots throughout modern-day Spain. These circumstances combined with other issues in the early 18th century, sparking the War of Spanish Succession, a conflict which had powerful consequences for the city. (Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

Under Bourbon Rule (1707 - 1833)

The death of Charles II without an heir created the War of Spanish Succession, which pitted Felipe d'Anjou and the Archduke Charles of Austria (whom Valencia acknowledged as king in 1705). On April 25th, 1707, the Archduke’s supporters were defeated at the Battle of Almansa and, soon after, the new King Felipe V of Bourbon promulgated the Nueva Planta decrees, abolishing the charters of the Kingdom of Valencia. The ideals of the Enlightenment during the 19th century echoed fervently within the broken city of Valencia. In 1808 the Peninsular War of Spanish Independence began against the forces of Napoleonic France. During the conflict, a liberal constitution of 1812 was formed in the city of Cadiz by a committee which included representatives from Valencia. In 1814, the new King Fernando VII decreed Valencia's return to absolutism, an act that would boost the bourgeois revolutions that marked the 19th century. (Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

The City of Steam (1833 - 1917)

The 19th century is remembered as a century of transformations changing Valencia into a bourgeois and industrial city. By mid-century, Valencia began its industrial boom, made possible by improvements in urban infrastructure (ports, roads, etc.). The city grew powerfully in the following decades; in 1865, Valencia demolished its walls in order to accommodate the city’s growth and introduced new infrastructure such as drinking water, gas, and electricity.

The 1909 Regional Exhibition was a showcase of the great advances of the time. However, these advances progressed amid the increasingly deteriorating climate of social inequality, revealing the darker side of economic progress. (Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

A Brief Glimpse of Modernity (1917 -1975)

In historical terms, the 20th century began with the general strike of 1917 which challenged the two-party system of the Bourbon Restoration and gave way to new republican ideology. The Second Republic in 1931 introduced major social advances, but failed to overcome the climate of increasing factionalism within the country. Political freedom broke in 1936 with the uprising of General Francisco Franco and the beginnings of the Spanish Civil War. However, Valencia remained on the Republican side until the end of the war. The early years of Franco’s dictatorship were marked by the autocracy and extreme rationing, but the 1960s were a new stage of development for the country characterized by urban growth and an influx of immigration. Franco's death in 1975 paved the way for Spanish democracy. (Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

Contemporary Valencia

1975 began Spain´s transition to democracy and, subsequently, the restoration of autonomy status to Valencia, a concession that has allowed the recovery of the city’s language and culture. In the last two decades, Valencia has completed numerous flagship projects, including the Gardens of the old Río Túria, the Valencian Institute of Modern Art (IVAM), the Palace of Músic and Conference (Palau de la Música o el de Congressos), the city’s subway, or the City of Arts and Sciences. Along with these are the infrastructures and services that make Valencia a modern city that is open to multiculturalism and to an increasingly dominant role in Mediterranean and European affairs. (Source: Web of the Museum of the History of València)

THE CITY OF VALENCIA