> BY ANY
S TANDA RD ,
THE
C I T Y OF A R T S
AND SC I ENCE S
CAS T S A
WONDROU S
SHADOW.
A gleaming white, futuristic huddle of glass and steel,
domes and other abstractly shaped structures rising
from a landscaped pool of reflective water, it more closely
resembles a spaceport from a sci-fi movie than anything
you might expect to find in the world today.
The complex, which sits at the end of what was
once the riverbed of the now-diverted Turia River, is
also a hotbed of cutting-edge attractions, including
an interactive museum, a high-tech planetarium and
Europe’s largest oceanographic aquarium. Since it opened
in 1998, it has become Valencia’s most-visited tourist
attraction – and one of the most popular in Spain – a feat
of design ingenuity that would turn heads in any city.
It’s not bad going for a place that, just 30 years ago, was
in serious decline and struggling to attract even its own
countrymen as visitors. But what’s even more impressive
is that this entertainment mecca is by no means the city’s
only architectural wonder. Founded by the Romans, once
ruled by the Arabs, birthplace of the Borgias and one
of the continent’s most prosperous enclaves during the
Renaissance, Valencia undoubtedly has a rich history and
culture. In recent years, however, Spain’s third-largest
metropolis has also reinvented itself as the home of some
of the most remarkable modern buildings in Europe.
“
Valencia was viewed as a
poor cousin of Barcelona,” says
Jan-Carlos Kucharek, an
architect who is also assistant
editor of the RIBA Journal.
“
Thirty years ago, even
Spaniards didn’t go there, but it
came up with a strong urban
statement for itself. Big-name
architects bring in tourism, as
Bilbao has also shown with the
Guggenheim. In no small
measure, as a result of the work
of notable architects, it’s now
an important tourist
destination.” Indeed, TripAdvisor
has ranked it ninth for European
destinations in 2012.
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