In the last ten years, the municipality of Valencia has chosen to pump in huge amounts of money to re-develope certain less privileged parts of the city. The huge cultural and exhibition complex, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences), was a multi-million urban renewal project envisaged to provide a new lease of life to a previously neglected part of this fast-growing metropole.
The whole complex is built on the former river bed of the River Turia, which used to run through the centre of Valencia. Designed by renown Spanish architects Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela, the entire park stretched for several kilometers and is now a popular weekend destination for locals and visitors alike.
Fans of modernist architectural style would not be failed to be impressed by the bold, futuristic lines of the buildings of the City of Arts and Sciences. Being a native of Valencia, Santiago Calatrava rose to international prominence in the 1990s, following the success of his widely acclaimed design of the giant Montjuïc Communications Tower - also known as Torre Telefonica, a satellite and communications tower built for Spain's telecommunications company Telefonica - at the heart of Barcelona's Olympic Games ground. Nowadays the works of Calatrava can be found all over the world, from Europe to North America and beyond.
Clever use of water and space make the futurist, somewhat surreal looking buildings of the park, appear much less intimidating, more approachable and more humane to ordinary visitors. Instead of feeling 'oppressed' or made 'breatheless' by all the outspoken symbolism of these grand structures, one still feels relaxed enough to enjoy all the sun, the blue sky and the air when walking around the huge park.
The trademark buildings of the City of Arts and Sciences include: L'Hemisferic (pictured above), which housed a IMAX 3D cinema, a planetarium and a laserium.
L'Umbracle is an open-air walk with a landscaped park planted with flora and fauna indigenous to the region of Valenica. There is also an open-air gallery featuring works of artists from all over the world.
At the back of the photo is L'Àgora, a covered multi-purpose plaza which features concerts and indoor sporting events, such as the Valenica Open tennis tourament.
El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, whose design is based on the concept of a whale's skeleton, is an interactive museum of science.
Inaugurated in 2005, El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, an opera house, music centre and a performing arts centre, has a very unusual shape, which makes the whole building looks a bit like an egg without half of its shell, or a Roman soldier's helmet with openings on the top and the side, depending on the angle from which you observe the building.
This was the former river bed of River Turia. Nowadays expensive apartment blocks and office buildings line both sides of this once derelict district. On weekends locals flock to the green open space of the City of Arts and Sciences, walking their dogs, riding their bikes, have a picnic on the lawn, or just jog around enjoying the air, the sun, and the art sculptures that decorated the grounds of the park.
There are a few outdoor snack bars inside the park for those who need their daily dose of cafe con leche and espresso. Since the park is huge and it takes at least two or three hours to walk from one end of the park to the other, such refuelling stops are always a relief to people like me, who need a good cup of coffee in the afternoon and a place to rest the legs.
Copyrights@2011. All photos and text by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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