Turia River

The Turia at Benaguacil

The Río Turia ( Valencian Riu Turia ) is a river in Spain. It arises from the confluence of its headwaters in the city of Teruel, the longer Guadalaviar, which rises in the Sierra de Albarracin Universal Montes, and the Alfambra. After 280 kilometers, it flows into the port city of Valencia in the Mediterranean.

Although he's not a big river, he watered for centuries by a sophisticated irrigation system, the total area of Valencia, also Campo del Turia or Huerta de Valencia called. The Valencian area is known for its very rich agriculture.

Ecology

Heavy rains have but several times already led to a drastic increase in its water level, which led to a flooding of the entire Valencian city on 14 October 1957. Then the river in the 1960s was diverted within the city of Valencia in a new, on the south of the city along the leading bed. The dry-laid, eight kilometers long and 200 meters wide, original river bed that runs through the town in the middle, was the subject of decades of continuing discussions.

The Turia in Valencia

First, here the leadership of a city highway was provided. With the democratization of Spain after the death of dictator Francisco Franco and the growing activity of citizens' initiatives increased, however the publicly articulated aspirations for creating a central park instead of the dried-out riverbed. By royal decree of 1 December 1976, the State transferred the ownership of the old Turiabett to the community of Valencia and these issued in October 1981 the architect Ricardo Bofill the order to carry out the basic planning for a situated in the former riverbed park. In July 1983, the project was approved by the municipal council, and in October 1985 the start of construction took place. This long discussion phase was due to the high cost of the project, but also by the resistance of property interests.

The conversion of the old Turiabettes in a nearly seven -kilometer-long, easily accessible from the adjacent residential park and recreational facility on approximately 100 hectares of land took place in the 1990s, essentially. 1991 with the construction of the Santiago Calatrava -designed, located east subsequent Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias ( City of Arts and Sciences ) was started, which represents a new cultural highlight in Valencia.