Valencia History Museum
| Museo de historia de Valencia | |
 | |
  Location within Valencia | |
| Established | May 7, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Location | C/ Valencia, 42 Mislata, Valencia, Spain |
| Coordinates | 39°28′21″N 0°24′30″W / 39.472611°N 0.408222°WCoordinates: 39°28′21″N 0°24′30″W / 39.472611°N 0.408222°W |
| Director | Javier Marti Oltra |
| Website |
www |
Valencia History Museum (Catalan: Museu d’Història de València, Spanish: Museo de historia de Valencia — MhV) was inaugurated on May 7th, 2003.
The mission of the Valencia History Museum is to teach visitors about the historical development of the city of Valencia and make it known. The MhV shows the past of Valencia in a didactic and entertaining way, using traditional exhibition resources and new technologies.
The project
Valencia History Museum (MhV) was created by agreement with the Commission of Government of the Valencia City Council on January 12th, 2001. Its mission is to promote the history of the city, from its origins to the present day using elements of our local archaeological, artistic, and cultural heritage.
The MhV is located in what was once the city`s deposit of drinking water, built in 1850 by Ildefonso Cerdá and Leodegario Marchessaux. The building was designed by Calixto Santa Cruz. Representing a beautiful example of Valencian industrial architecture, it was the first engineering project in Valencia in the nineteenth century.
The restoration of the building was performed by the City Council between 1998 and 2001. The restoration work was carried with great care and respect for our architectural heritage. In this way, we can enjoy a place of real beauty where the Museum is located nowadays.
The MhV aims to present the history of Valencia to visitors and give them a nuanced depiction of the past and traditions in an entertaining way while keeping close to historical fact. The Museum wishes to portray the history of the city of Valencia as something tangible, intelligible and entertaining while also trying to give perspective to political history, dates, battles or famous historic figures as well as focussing on social background, economic motives, ideology and tradition.
MhV was proclaimed "Cultural Project of the Year" by the “Diputación de Valencia” in 2003.
The building
The Museum is situated inside the first underground reservoir of drinking water in Valencia which was built by Ildefonso Cerdá (who later designed the Eixample of Barcelona) and Leodegario Marchessaux for the needs of the city. The reservoir was inaugurated in 1850 and was the first of its kind in Spain. Built entirely in brick, it is an outstandingly beautiful piece of nineteenth century industrial architecture. The mere contemplation of the arcades suggests a feeling of serenity and peace and seduces the gaze. Formerly unknown to the general public, the building contributes beauty to the surrounding area.
Despite the Museum being relatively out of reach of the Old City, the neighbouring Parque de Cabecera, less than 100 meters away, provides easy access to the city centre.
Within walking distance of the Museum, the Parque de Cabecera includes the Bioparc, one of the most innovative zoos in the world, where you can observe the animals in relative freedom. The classical zoo setting offers a wide range of cultural and environmental amenities. It is a place of undeniable attraction for the inhabitants of Valencia and tourists alike.
On display
The MhV presents a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of Valencia, in eight time zones:
- Valentia (138 b.c.-711)
- Balansiya (711-1238)
- Valencia in the Middle ages (1238-1519)
- The “Germanías” to the “Nueva Planta” (1519-1707)
- Borbonicus municipality (1707-1833)
- The City of Steam (1833-1917)
- Truncated Modernity (1917-1975) and
- The Valencia we have known (1975-2003)
Each period shows a collection of objects, documents and works of art which bear witness to their time. In the centre of each block, there are two stands reconstructing historical settings of the city and projecting everyday scenes related to each period, so the visitor can choose any scene at will and get to know historical characters, by immersion in each world of experiences and aspirations.
The format is halfway between that of a museum and a cinema, allowing us to provide a great deal of textual information through more dynamic resources.
Visitors can see everyday scenes relating to circumstances and characters of different periods, thus being able to get to know the protagonists of the history of Valencia.
The showcases present a varied collection, ranging from archaeological objects to artistic works, archival documents, books, prints, maps, posters, machines, vehicles or toys, among others, collected not so much for their individual value as for their ability to evoke moments and contexts in history.
Moreover, the MhV welcomes regular temporary exhibitions on the subject of the city in a general sense, in all its manifestations, and the history of Valencia in particular, while proposing a didactic programme for all audiences. You can take guided tours or request specific workshops.
The Museum is equipped to recreate, using virtual reality, the appearance of the city throughout its twenty-two centuries of history: “La máquina del tiempo (The Time Machine)”. The visitor can choose a time zone and browse it to get a bird's eye view, obtaining an avalanche of historical data on the city at any point along the way.
The “Mediateca (media library)”, finally, is a space designed for relaxation and reflection, where the visitor can enjoy hearing recited poetry or musical fragments from every moment in history, see old photos of Valencia and its inhabitants or freely consult a carefully chosen selection of works on the city.