Cultural Route Cycling Ring

Plaza de Alfonso el Magnánimo. Parterre, corner with Poeta Quintana street

It was made to adorn the orchard of Pontons, a rich canon of the Cathedral of the seventeenth century. This Baroque sculpture represents the god Neptune (also known as Poseidon in Greek mythology), god of the sea who rules all waters and seas with his trident, causing storms. At its feet is a large monstrous fish (allegory of a dolphin). It was installed in La Glorieta in the nineteenth century and in 1960 moved to its current location in the Parterre.

Plaza de Alfonso el Magnánimo. Parterre

The most outstanding element of the Gardens is the monument erected in honor of James I, from the late nineteenth century. It is a monumental equestrian statue made of bronze from the cannons of the castle of Peñíscola, which magnifies the figure of King James.

Equestrian statues enjoyed great prestige in the Roman world, and served to glorify emperors or heroes. The only one that remains from this period is that of Marco Aurelio, in the city of Rome.

There is a false myth that the position of the horse’s legs indicates the manner of death of the protagonist of the statue. According to this legend, King James I would have died from war wounds, which we know is not true.

Columbus Street, Corner of Justice Street and Navarro Reverter

It was designed by the architect Javier Goërlich as a monument to the fallen in the 40s of the last century. It is a reproduction of the old Puerta del Real, which was opposite the Puente del Real, and gave way to the disappeared Palacio del Real. It was destroyed along with the walls in the late nineteenth century.

It has the appearance of a triumphal arch and, although it preserves the cross, the Historical Memory Law has stripped it of the laudatory tombstones of Francoism.

The bat, symbol of the City, stands out at the top of its facades, and friezes with horses, and eagles crowning warrior helmets.

The bat, present on the city’s coat of arms, in the ensigns of football clubs and in historical cultural associations, are flying mammals, very important in the maintenance of ecosystems and for public health and are protected by law, because they are voracious insectivores and their populations are very important to control mosquito pests, transmitters of many diseases, for example, malaria, which was an endemic disease of Valencia for many centuries.

Legend has it that, at the time of the reconquest of King James I, during the siege of the city of Valencia, he was awakened by noises made by bats and discovered that the Moorish army was attempting a surprise attack, which they withdrew when they were discovered.

Calle Sorní, corner with Jorge Juan street

Built in 1901 by the architect Cortina as a home for his father, it was one of the most luxurious and advanced buildings in the Eixample at the time.

Its façade, full of symbolism, of a refined modernist style, is strongly inspired by the work of Gaudí and is listed as an Asset of Local Relevance.

At various points of the façade there are lizards, salamanders and dragons as ornamental motifs of this, as support of corbels or in the crowning of the central element of the chamfer, which give the whole construction the nickname of “dragons”.

Plaza de los Pinazo

Bronze sculpture with patina, reminiscent of terracotta, on a cubic pedestal, by the artist Elena Nogueroles. It is a denunciation about the abandonment of animals and a tribute to the people who are dedicated to caring for them.

The sculpture, given by the artist to the city of Valencia, was inaugurated on March 3, 2018. The dog is engraved with the name of Tristán and the cat, that of Soledad.

He has a poem recorded in Valencian and Spanish, in reference to the subject.

Calle Xàtiva, 13

It was inaugurated during the Second Republic. There is an important façade topped with a small temple of columns crowned by an eagle with wings spread, on which rests a young man. The original statue is the work of 1911 by the French sculptor Saint-Marceau.

Although it is the emblem of the famous insurance company, it does not actually represent the Phoenix. The sculptural composition features a young man leaning on the eagle’s wings and raising an arm in the air. It seems to be an allegory of Ganymede, a character from Greek mythology, symbol of eternal youth. This sculpture is a replica of which crowns the headquarters building in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante and other parts of Spain.

Xàtiva Street

It is a terminal station of monumental character and Valencian modernist style, inaugurated in 1917 and work of the architect Demetrio Ribes. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).

It stands out for its ornamental richness and its large proportions. In the centre of the façade, above the great clock, attention is drawn to a large bronze ball, representing the orb, on which an eagle made with great realism, symbol of speed, spreads its wings.

Guillem de Castro Street, 31

It was an old winery. It is a building of the early twentieth century and its façade shows four medallions with dogs resting on barrels.

Guillem de Castro Street

Depictions of horses are the oldest examples of animalism in European art. This sculpture is a replica of the archaeological specimen that is in the Museum of Prehistory and was placed in 1982, when the Garden of the old Hospital was inaugurated. The original, which is small, 7.5 cm. It is an ex-voto representing a rider and was found at the Iberian site of La Bastida dels Alcuses, in Moixent. Its dating dates back to the fifth century BC.

It depicts an Iberian warrior armed with a sword, shield and helmet mounted on a horse.

Vicente Iborra Square

French in style, it was acquired by the municipality in 1851 to celebrate the birth of the Princess of Asturias. It was installed first in the Plaza del Mercado and then in La Alameda, until 1967, when it was installed in its current location. His style follows the naturalistic currents of the time. Two waterfowl stand out, the somormujos, surrounded by abundant vegetation, among which other aquatic animals appear, such as frogs, turtles and fish, which point among the foliage, with great fidelity to zoological models.

The somormujos, also called zampullines, are birds that we can see in L’Albufera and other wetlands in Europe. They feed on insects, fish, frogs and reptiles that they hunt with their sharp beaks. They change their plumage in the seasons and, in the summer plumage, which is the time of courtship, they have extensions of feathers on the sides of the head as “pieces”.

Guillem de Castro Street, 175

Work of the early twentieth century, it was founded at the expense of the silk merchant Juan Bautista Romero, who lost his son at an early age, in order to teach and welcome poor children. On the pediment there is an allegorical image of Jesús Maestro, and on one side we can see a palm tree and a “supposed” dog barking in the sky.

Plaza de los Fueros

The towers of Serrans were one of the main gates of the late medieval wall, from the late fourteenth century. The name Serrans is due to the fact that it received travelers from the mountainous region area. It had various uses, from defense of the city, prison and even storage of the paintings of the Prat Museum during his stay in Valencia, during the Civil War.

One of the gargoyles depicts a lion with a child in its claws. Gargoyles were used to drain the upper levels of the Towers. On the corbels of the staircase there are dragons and various mythological animals.

Headquarters of the Government Delegation

Carlos III ordered it built, between 1761 and 1770, to house the Headquarters of the Order of Montesa, after an earthquake devastated the titular castle of the Order. Directly linked to the court, it is typical of Italian neoclassicism.

One of the most important ornamental elements is the coat of arms of Carlos III, on the façade of the Church, adorned with the necklace of the Golden Fleece, the highest decoration of the House of Bourbon. The Fleece is a hanging ram that refers to the mythological legend of “Jason and the Golden Fleece”.

Tetuán Square

The old Gothic convent of Santo Domingo was added, at the end of the sixteenth century, a new Renaissance doorway to the church, on the façade of the current Plaza de Tetuán. Above the cover there is an enormous semicircular tympanum showing the coat of arms of the Dominican Order with two dogs as support, emblematic animals of the order. Pope Gregory IX entrusted them with the persecution of heretics, and, for their special dedication to this task, they soon received the nickname “Dominion Cannes” (dogs of the Lord). Inside the tympanum, there are two letters: D and F, which mean “Dominicanus Fratres” (Dominican friars).

Glorieta Gardens

Although newts are amphibians of the group of salamanders, according to mythology, Triton is a sea god, son of Neptune and Antitrite. In astronomy, Neptune’s moon is also called Triton. The special attribute of the sea god Triton was a sea snail, which he played like a trumpet, to calm or raise the waves of the sea. This sea snail that blows Triton is a Charonia lampas, a Mediterranean species very common in ancient times, even on the beaches of Valencia. It has been found in the ruins of the ancient Roman port, although today it is scarce, and is in danger of extinction.