Wednesday, August 10, 2011

La Lonja de la Seda


Tue-Sat
10am - 2pm
4.30pm - 8.30pm
Sun & Hols: 10am - 3pm
closed Mondays

Built between 1482 and 1533, this group of buildings was originally used for trading in silk (hence its name, the Silk Exchange) and it has always been a center for commerce. It is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The grandiose Sala de Contratación (Contract or Trading Hall), in particular, illustrates the power and wealth of a major Mediterranean mercantile city in the 15th and 16th centuries.

La Lonja was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 for being one of the most stunning, most important and best preserved examples of Late Gothic architecture in entire Europe. Built in the beginning of XVI century, La Lonja (Silk Exchange) is the real emblem of the Golden Age of Valencia - the times when this city was one Europe's main cultural and economic centers - and this is precisely why La Lonja was built. As such, no expense was spared on the lavishness and luxury of the architecture here.

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