Paris1972-Versailles2003

Ok this one turn out a long name …. and original me think… well here we go again staying for the end in Valencia, Spain. I have written several posts on the city but feel the brief mentioned of the museum were not enough. Therefore, here is my humble post on the Museo Nacional de Ceràmica y Artes Suntuarias or National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts González Martí.

The Museo Nacional de Ceràmica y Artes Suntuarias “Gonzalez Martî” -Palacio Marqués de Dos Aguas. or simply the Ceramics and Arts museum. A gorgeous baroque building richly decorated with what it shows! Of course, Valencia. The main entrance by Calle Cultura , 6 also entrance by Calle Poeta Querol, 2 , and located in the Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas. . It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 10h to 14h and from 16h to 20h. Sundays and Holidays from 10h to 14h. -Closed every Monday of the year, and January 1, May 1, December 24, 25 and 31 and two local holidays. Admission is only 3 Euros!!!

The Ceramics and Arts Museum was created on February 7, 1947 from the donation to the State of the Manuel González Martí ceramic collection, opening as a museum on June 18, 1954. For seven years the collection was based at the founder’s private home, while the restoration of the Palace carried out between 1950 and 1954 was being carried out, the date on which the National Ceramic Museum was definitively installed and the palace was purchased by the State in 1949 to locate the ceramic collection. After its first rehabilitation to adapt the rooms as a museum, since then numerous interventions have taken place that include the restoration of the property, improvements to its infrastructure and the renovation of the museum spaces. In 1990 the museum closed to undertake a new restoration of the building, reopening its doors to the public in 1998. In 1969, having increased its funds with numerous objects of furniture, clothing, painting and other collections of the Valencian tradition and its indigenous authors, it was arranged that the Museum should display, along with ceramics, objects of sumptuary art, and renamed National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts González Martí.

On the ground floor, after passing the hall, there is the patio de carruajes or carriage yard, as its name indicates, it was the old courtyard where carriages were kept and there were also stables for horses and dogs. There are exhibited the carroza de las Ninfas or carriage of the Nymphs, dated 1753, that of the Marquis of Llanera, in the empire style, and a sedan chair, in the Rococo style, also from the 18C.  To tour the first floor what were the private rooms of the Marquises of Dos Aguas, all decorated with stuccoes and wall paintings, are furnished with part of the original furniture such as the Ballroom, the Red Room, the Salita oriental, the so-called of the Porcelain with the original furniture made in Dresden with inlaid ceramic plates, as well as Meissen porcelain lamp and sconces along with some figures. In the bedroom there is a large white Carrara marble bathtub and the ceiling is decorated with paintings made in 1862. In all these rooms you can admire paintings and various objects, clocks, vases, etc. as a complement to the exquisite decoration of the time.

From its first years of creation the museum received valuable and numerous donations from collections of ancient costumes, its presentation was made with the costumes placed on wooden mannequins in natural color, so as not to distract the viewer’s attention, these dresses were presented with accessories of umbrellas, hats, blankets or fans. There are a series of twelve decorative fragments of Coptic textiles, highlighting a tabula decorated with grape leaves dated between 140-380 AD, another fabric with polychrome bands from 210-390 AD and a fragment with a decoration on a dark background with patterns bichrome, surely taken from geometric mosaic models, dated between 250-420 AD.

Among Manuel González Martí’s varied collecting was painting. Although part of it passed into the hands of its heirs, the museum collection maintains some works such as an Immaculate Conception (1860) by the Valencian painter José Vicente Pérez y Vela. A piece found in the Museum’s chapel is a Saint Vincent Martyr, purchased in 1917, from an anonymous author dating from the early 17C and from the exclaimed Cistercian monastery of Santa María de Benifasar. There are two oils that represent San Francisco de Asís and San Vicente Ferrer, surely they were the doors of the tabernacle, and could be works of the painter Nicolás Borrás, disciple of Juan de Juanes, since they bear a great resemblance to works by this author conserved in the cathedral of Orihuela. Although most of the paintings are of a religious nature, you can see 17C portraits of Louis XVI, King of France and his wife, Marie Antoinette of Austria, copies of originals from the same century that are kept in the Palace of Versailles. Some other contributions come from various donations from private collections or from the artists themselves, most of the 19-20C.

The Second floor (3rd US) has been dedicated to the display of ceramic for use or decoration or as an architectural element. Of the content of the Ceramic and arts Museum they emphasize the collection of medieval Christian ceramics coming from Manises and Paterna; a set of ceramics from antiquity: Greek, Iberian and Roman; a production of Valencian medieval tiles and productions of the Royal Factory of Alcora. The first collection donated by its founder Manuel González Martí, consisted of some 6,000 pieces, mostly ceramics, ranging from medieval times to popular earthenware from the 19C. It is exposed distributed in the various rooms of this second floor of the palace. Moorish Hispanic ceramics are well represented, mainly with pieces from the Valencian area of ​​Muslim workshops, including those from the 13-14C decorated in green and manganese, with a white watertight cover, those with metallic reflections and those that used cobalt blue.

In a specially adapted room, the representation of a typical Valencian kitchen is preserved, as designed by Manuel González Martí, with tiles for skirting boards and friezes together with decorative panels from the 18-19C. The decoration of this room is complemented by ceramic vessels and popular copper objects from the same period.

The Culture and Sport Ministry on the Ceramics and Arts museum in Spanish: Min Culture and sports on the Ceramics and arts museum

Tourist office of Valencia on the Ceramics and Arts museum in English: Tourist office of Valencia on the Ceramics museum

Of course, we did not have time to see it all as were walking along seeing all in our sight, but it is sublime and worth coming back for it. Hope you have enjoy the fabulous Ceramics and Arts Museum of Valencia.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Ok this one not used personally as always there by car, but did go in it as it is an impressive building as well.  I did thought once about taking it from Cuenca but nahh .One of my routine walks in the city and we love it. Let me tell you a bit more on the North train station or Estacion Norte or Estacio Nord of Valencia, Spain.

The Estacion Norte or Estacio Nord is a terminal station of monumental character and Valencian modernist style inaugurated in 1917 by the Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte de España or Company of the Iron Roads of Northern Spain. It is located in the city center just 200 meters from the City Town Hall (see post)..

The history of the station dates back to 1851 near the current Plaza del Ayuntamiento or city /town hall square, the first station Norte. It was a classic looking building, with a portico at each end, decorated with four Doric columns. It was put into operation on March 21, 1852 with the opening of the lines of just over 6 km that linked Valencia with the port area of El Grao. On August 2, 1907, works began that did not end until 1917 for the new train station.

The main entrance to the North station is located on Calle Játiva 24, although it has another access on Calle Bailén at the corner of Calle Matemático Marzal. The set of tracks and building is flanked by Calle Alicante and Calle Bailén to the east and west respectively and Calle Játiva to the north. To the south runs the common bundle of railway lines that depart from this terminal station. The new Train Station Nord building is rectangular in plan with two clearly differentiated areas: the large hangar, with an equally rectangular plan and closed with a structure of articulated arches of rolled steel, and the passenger building itself, with a U-plan and independent pillars from the structure of the hangar. It is framed in the modernist style, where the influences of the European side of the Sezession are appreciated, and especially with Otto Wagner, whose influence would be added, on the one hand reminiscences of the English perpendicular Gothic along with beginnings of what would later be the Rationalism.

Its façade, with plant motifs, oranges and orange blossom, is inspired by Valencian agriculture and includes, among other references to the city, the four red bars on a gold background of the Valencia heraldic shield. The constant repetition of the city’s coat of arms stands out as the top of the canopies, as well as emblematic elements alluding to the Company of the Iron Roads of Northern Spain, such as the five-pointed star and the eagle, symbol of speed, which finishes off the central body of the building. The decoration is completed in the central block by two symmetrically placed mosaics. The ornamentation of the interior of the building was done with glazed ceramics, truncates and mosaic from the “La Ceramo” factory in Benicalap. In its lobby, a combination of wood, glass and marble fuse warmth, transparency and shine. It has endless decorative elements of ceramic, wood, metal, glass and other materials. The main roof of the central nave, which covers the tracks, is shaped like an arch and guides that represent the train tracks. Likewise, it has a large longitudinal opening intended for the smoke from steam machines to escape. The plinths of each door or interior large window in the lobby are made of wood, and above you can read the motto “Buen Viaje” bon voyage in different languages. Its large windows have a rose on top. Another typical Modernism feature that can be seen at the station is the integration of all the arts in the same building: architecture, sculpture, painting and decorative arts.

Inside, the ground floor is exclusively for the public, while the mezzanine and first floor are for offices. It has ticket sales, information points, auto-vending machines, toilets and luggage. It also has commercial premises that include gift shops, cafes and restaurants, ATMs, a newsstand, lottery stands and a pharmacy. The enclosure is adapted for people with physical, mental and sensory disabilities. Outside there are three enabled parking areas and the metro, taxi and urban bus stops. It has connections with lines 3, 5, 7 and 9 of the city metro and with the urban bus network.

It has long-distance connections that connect it mainly to Barcelona,Sevilla, Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca. These routes are mainly covered with Talgo trains. The Estacio Nord station has a high traffic of Media Distancia (middle distance trains) trains that connect Valencia with the cities of Murcia, Cartagena, Elche, Alicante, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Madrid, Barcelona,Zaragoza, and Huesca. North Station of Valencia is also, the terminal for Cercanias (suburban) lines C-1, C-2, C-3, C-5 and C-6. This implies that five of the six Cercanías lines meet at the station, this being the point where most of the network’s lines conclude. Awesome station!

The official train webpage of ADIF on the Valencia Estacion Norte in English: ADIF North train station Valencia

The tourist office of Valencia on Estacion Norte in English: Tourist office of Valencia on Estacion Norte

I would imagine a trip here would be very nice due to the wonderful architecture and position of the train station north. We walk by it saw it very nice architecture indeed. Hope it helps you when passing by the Estacio Nord or Estacion Norte in Valencia.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Ok ok please please I know its a government building but you can go inside and see it as well as a museum. It is impressive caught our attention and we went for it. Written briefly on it in my blog in the past but again, feel needs more. Therefore, here is my take on the City Hall or Ayuntamiento of the city of Valencia, Spain.

Government buildings are dull except the city halls of Europe that can be rich and ornamental sometimes former palaces and manor houses; this is no exception in Valencia where on the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (city hall square) you have a beautiful city hall building before you.  The City/town hall (Ayuntamiento)  of Valencia , and the building body of the main façade was made between the second and third decades of the  20C in a marked modernist style.

Let me tell you more on the history I like and a description

The old City House (City/Town Hall) was located in the square that today occupies the garden of the “Palau de la Generalitat“, in the Plaza de la Virgen. In 1854, due to the dilapidated state in which it was found, it was provisionally decided to transfer it to the old Casa de la Enseñanza (Teaching House), in the current Plaza del Ayuntamiento, then Plaza de Isabel II. The building was built between 1758 and 1763 on land of the now-defunct Archicofradía de la Sangre or arch confraternity of Blood. The Casa de la Enseñanza was a teaching center for girls without resources.

The current City Hall occupies a 6,173 m2 block and has facades on four streets: the main one falls on the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the rear one on Calle Arzobispo Mayoral , the one on the left located south on Calle Periodista Azzati and the one on the right located to the north, to the Calle de la Sangre (blood) that receives its name from the aforementioned Arch confraternity. to which various dependencies were added between the years 1901 and 1904. The area that belongs to Calle Arzobispo Mayoral and Calle de la Sangre, integrates, although with important modifications, what was the old Colegio de Enseñanza or college of education. The Real Casa de Enseñanza revolved around a three-story neoclassical Tuscan cloister courtyard. Eight spans per bay on the first two floors and twice as many windows on the third. On the corridor that surrounded the cornice of the cloister on the first floor, an iron railing formed a flown gallery; north of the cloister stood the Church of the Arch confraternity of the Blood.

The main facade is the most visible and impressive part of the reforms carried out in the Teaching House. The first stone of this façade was laid in 1906. Its current configuration gives it the appearance of a full-blown palace, with architecture with classic elements a little out of date at the time it was made. It consists of a central body crowned by the clock tower, and on each side and in perfect symmetry, a square tower, the facade with windows and balconies and at the end of it a circular tower with a dome and lantern. The building is basically made up of a ground floor and two floors, perfectly delimited by the balconies and windows that overlook the facade. In the central body we find a large stone balcony made between 1965 and 1967 that is supported by four columns.

On the first floor and at the height of the balcony a wooden door with a semicircular arch gives access to the balcony. The square towers that flank the central body are made up of three bodies. The first body is occupied by the ground floor. A lintel door allows access to the interior. The second body is formed by a balcony at the height of the first floor and a smaller balcony window at the height of the second floor, the latter forming a semicircular arch. Both balconies are flanked by two large Corinthian columns with smooth shafts, in the lower third of which we find relief’s of sweethearts and cartouches between garlands of fruit. In the third body that stands out on the cornice, two large free-standing marble sculptures stand out, representing the four cardinal virtues “La Justicia” justice “La Prudencia” prudence “La Fortaleza” strength and “La Templanza” temperance. In the center of these figures a window with a column on each side it overlooks the square or plaza del Ayuntamiento. This body is crowned by a balustrade topped by pinnacles at the ends and in the center the stone coat of arms of the city on a split pediment. Finishing off the central body of the building is the clock tower, made up of three floors, one of them with a balcony topped by a classical pediment, the clock follows and finishes off a metal chime placed in 1930. The cubic towers at the ends are made up of like the rest of the building with a ground floor and two floors, but here, just as in the square towers, you find a third floor that protrudes above the cornice. Large number of balconies and windows surround the entire perimeter of the tower. These are crowned with coppery scale domes of metallic reflection topped by a lantern. The streets facades around it are the Calle Arzobispo Mayoral on the right you find the cover of the old school church. Calle de la Sangre facade stands on a high stone plinth, six pilasters rise from top to bottom along the façade ending in a denticulate cornice. The side of Calle Periodista Azzati facade has an entrance that gives access to municipal offices in use.

Once inside the City Hall building, entering through the main façade, the first thing that catches your attention is the large neoclassical marble staircase that accesses the upper floor. It is a work of 1924, and rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War, while the high-relief located on the landing of it and representing the Sacred Heart of Jesus is from 1941. The Salón de Fiestas or Feasts hall, also called de Cristal or Mirrors, was opened in 1929 by King Alfonso XIII. It is a large room of 22.60 meters x 10 meters wide, which is covered with a lowered barrel vault with holes. It has natural lighting through stained glass windows and two large Bohemian crystal chandeliers for spiders calls. On the ceiling three oval ceiling lamps with oil paintings, representing allegories of the Earth, the Sky and the Valencian Sea made in 1927. The Hemiciclo o salón de plenos or Hemicycle or plenary hall is a semicircular room. In the front wall behind the presidency, a painting of 1976 with King Juan Carlos I presides over the room. On the doors that allow access to the room and that are on the sides of the presidency, art deco paintings with allegories of Valencia are shown.

Inside the City Hall, there is the Municipal Historical Museum created in 1927, although its current configuration dates back to 1935 after a profound transformation of the former Chapel of Santa Rosa de Lima (Church of the House of Education). In its four rooms, capital works of the history of the city and especially emblematic pieces of the foral history. The most important Hall of this Municipal Historical Museum is the so-called Foral Hall that corresponds almost entirely to what was the church of the Teaching house, the so-called Chapel of Santa Rosa de Lima. I have not been to the museum , noted next trip ::)

The city of Valencia on contact info for the City Hall: City of Valencia city hall contacts

Tourist office of Valencia on the City Hall in English: Tourist office of Valencia on City Hall

And there you go, see a beautiful city/town hall for all to see and enjoy. Also, a very good area for walks in Valencia even in the traffic we walk the beat and was nice. Hope you enjoy the architecture and history of the City Hall of Valencia.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!