Estación del Norte (Spain)
On October 18, 2017, the Railway Heritage World Blog went to the Estación del Norte in Valencia, a visit organized by the VII Congreso de Historia Ferroviaria and guided by the group CaminArt - Camins de Cultura i d´Art.
They were allowed to take us to places where usually public cannot access!
The rumors about the construction of a railway in Valencia emerged in the mid-nineteenth century (1847) to connect Valencia and the port area of Grao. The first Estación del Norte was designed by the engineers Beatty and Shepherd, who worked to the Company Ferrocarriles de Madrid-Valencia. Meanwhile, in 1850, Marqués de Campo bought the construction royalties of the Mar-Xávita, thus the Company Ferrocarriles del Grao a Játiva was responsible for the first railway of Valencia.
This railway line was constructed passing through the city walls. To allow the entrance of the train in the city a part of the wall was destroyed, and a big wooden door was built to replace it. Only in 1865, Cirilo Amorós, governor of Valencia, decided to break down the city wall, which was replaced by the big Calle Játiva. Until that moment the city did not have a railway station, only a railway halt. Until that moment, the railway was not enough to transport everyone and all the goods until the port, due to the big distance between its halt and the port of Grao. To get there, many people was obliged to use their on mean of transportation.
The first railway station was built in 1868. Its features had British influences, due to its Victorian design and functional architecture. However, with the passing time this station became insufficient to execute its job. To replace this station emerged some discutions about a new place for it. In the end, the location chosen was out of the old city walls, which meant the release of access through the Calle Játiva.
The old station was demolished and in its place the Emilio Castelar square was built, known today as Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The CURRENT STATION was designed by the architect Demetrio Ribes Marco, it started to be built in 1907, and it was inaugurated in 1917, accomplishing
a 100 years of existence this year!
As an example of modern architecture, the station façade is horizontal, constituted by two lateral towers where the workshops were located. Under one of these towers we saw a tunnel used during the Second World War to protect people from the bombings; this place could host around 200 people side by side! There are three entrances, which are located in different parts of the city and there are some ventilation ducts.
The first thing that draws ones attention to this station is the decoration. Between the ceramic statues, the façade colorful ornaments and the mosaic of glazed ceramic, it is difficult to say which one is the most beautiful. They used some standard templates to constitute a really impressive decorative ensemble. And the details! Everywhere you could see images of the traditional culture of Valencia. The name of the station can be found everywhere, and the station wish you a pleasant journey in many languages, you just need to find yours!
Since 1961, the last station built was categorized as Historic and Artistic Monument, and in 1983 it was considered an Interesting Cultural Asset. This new monument replaced the 5.000m² of the old station by 15.476m². The building has a rectangular shape basically constituted by a rectangular hangar of six train tracks and the passenger building designed on a “U” shape. The cover is impressive; it was designed by the engineer Enrique Grasset Echevarria, a big and high metallic structure shaped on a round arch of 45m high, which we could see it from the top!
Not to mention the wood work!
Do you mind to pay to use public bathrooms? Well, you will need to do it there, but you will not regret!
Do you want to see more? Try the virtual visits available!
The Railway and the City
As it could be seen, all along this railway history, this infrastructure caused many urban changes. The demolition of a part of the city wall, the construction of a new station that would not interfere the traffic of the Calle Játiva and a whole urban planning after the demolition of the old station. Currently the building offers many kind of services for travelers: coffee shops, convenience stores and a big hall where some exhibitions can happen. Not to mention its value as a turistic place.
Final Consideration
Estación del Norte is a really impressive building, full of national symbols. Groups as CaminArt - Camins de Cultura i d´Art, and some other iniciatives, help the city to preserve this history. If you do not know Valencia, the Estación del Norte is an interesting way to find out about its traditions and history. It is a railway heritage full of knowledge!
