The fertile imagination of Santiago Calatrava
After the floods of 1957, the city took drastic measures: the Turia River was diverted. As a result, the city was left with a huge dry river bed, which decades later provided the required space for an ambitious project. The first stone was laid in 1996 and 13 years later, the City of Arts and Sciences was completed. The complex consists of 7 buildings, including the Palau de les Arts, an opera building in the shape of a sailboat; the Museu de les CiĂšncies, a huge science museum in the shape of a whale skeleton; and one of the newer buildings, the Ăgora, an event hall that symbolises 2 folded hands. Like UFOs in the river bed, the buildings sprouted from the creative mind of Valenciaâs most famous son: world famous architect Santiago Calatrava. His âsculpturesâ are musts for fans of modern architecture, but even regular visitors will find plenty to see and do in the City of Arts and Sciences.
âForbidden to not touchâ
The Museu de les CiĂšncies is one of the most fun science museums in the world. It says âEs prohibix no tocarâ â forbidden to not touch. The 40,000 square metres of exhibit space provides insight into complex topics like gravity, the theory of relativity and DNA. That may sound boring, but the displays are colourful and flashy, with images and sounds, bells and whistles and many interactive features. The only building that wasnât designed by Calatrava but by his colleague FĂ©lix Candela, is the OceanogrĂ fic. Europeâs largest aquarium contains 42 million litres of water and is home to 40,000 animals, ranging from colourful puffer fish to adorable penguins.
