a women in Valencian dress shows her flowers with the Micalet bell tower in the background
the station stil has the original windows, decorated with roses and oranges
the main hall with the columns and the original ticket-booths
a clock in style
an eagle sits on top of the world, symbolizing the speed of the railway
part of the colorful mozaic to the right of the main entrance
the station's business end
one of the many glazed tiles
the ticket-booths have flower mosiacs and the Norte logo
Valencia's Estacion del Norte railway station
In 1852 Valencia saw the inauguration of its first railway station with a 6 km long track that connected downtown with the Gao
harbor area on the east coast.
In the following years the railway network expanded quickly creating the need for a new and larger station.
Construction
started in 1907 and in 1917 the new
Estation del Norte came into service. The station was built in a local modernist
style and used brand new technologies like a huge iron canopy with a central nave to vent away the exhaust
of the mighty steam locomotives.
The building is decorated with colorful glazed ceramic tiles and mosaics inspired
by Valencian culture, depicting flowers, oranges and regional motifs and scenes.
Above the central entrance with shields
of Valencia and the railway company an eagle sits on top of the world, depicting speed.
In the entrance hall with
its richly decorated columns the original wooden ticket-booths are still in use.
The highlight is the old cafetaria, now
called the Hall of Mosiacs with its walls and ceiling covered with mosiacs of Valencian scenes.
the front facade of the railway station. The red star was the logo of the train company
the main entrance, decorated with oranges and the red shields of Valencia
the columns are decorated with oranges and other fruits and flowers
the restored Mosaic Hall originally served as a cafetaria