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The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia is designed by world renowned Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. In 1957 the area suffered catastrophic floods, forcing city officials to drain the river. The old Turia River bed now serves as a 10 KM long park and is home to an architectural whole comprised of several modern and unprecedented structures.
The main structures and their Valencian names are below:
a Museum - El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe
a Planetarium - L’Hemisfèric
an Opera House - El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia),
a Promenade - L’Umbracle
an Acquarium - L’ Oceanografic
a Plaza - L’ Agora
Assut de l’Or Bridge
Construction began in July of 1996 and has continued all the way through 2009. The total budget was originally 300 million but ended up costing north of 1.2 Billion to build. The futuristic and modern buildings are literally other worldly and seem even more out of place when juxtaposed to Valencia’s charming and historic backdrop. This is my favorite destination in Valencia and perhaps all of Spain, its certainly worth dedicating a day or two while in the city.