Description of the attraction
The Serranos Gate is one of the two surviving ancient city gates, which can be safely called one of the main attractions of Valencia. This grandiose, powerful and majestic structure was built by the architect Pere Balaguer in 1392-1398. Built in the Gothic style, the Serranos Gate was originally conceived as a military structure and was supposed to protect the city from enemy invasions, but most often they were used for official ceremonies and proclamations of the will of the royal power.
The towers are built of stone and limestone, connected by a gallery-wall with an arched entrance and decorated with patterns and bas-reliefs made in the Gothic style. On the tops of the towers, there are observation platforms with fences, from which a beautiful view of the city and its surroundings opens. On the façade, facing the city, there are large arched openings that once served as tribunes.
In 1865, it was decided to demolish the city walls, part of which were the Serranos gates and towers. They were abandoned due to the fact that, from the 16th century until 1887, the buildings of the towers were used as a prison for nobles and knights. During the Spanish Civil War, the towers were used as storage for valuable museum works and exhibits.
Currently, the gate and towers of Serranos play one of the important roles in the interesting Valencian tradition - it is from them that they announce the start of the most important festival in the life of the city, which is called "Las Falas".
