The Silk Road in Valencia (Every Saturday at 11am)

The city rose as the capital of the silk fabrics industry in the western Mediterranean while the ancient Silk Road in Asia began to lose prominence. Valencia had its name engraved on all the maps of commercial routes due to the quality of its silk and the fabrics that were made with it in the district of Velluters.

This cultural tour, organized with Valencia Tourism Foundation and led by an expert guide, covers Valencia’s most essential sites related to silk history.

The wealth of the city between the XV and XVIII centuries was enormous due to the silk trade and this left important traces in our heritage. The Silk Exchange (Lonja de la Seda), a masterpiece of civil Gothic architecture and one of the most emblematic buildings in Valencia, has been a World Heritage Site since 1996. It was conceived for a space for the trade of a great variety of merchandise but the predominant and major value was silk.

Just 500 meters away, in the same district of Velluters, the Silk Museum, located in the old guild house, is today the perfect place to get to know the history of the Valencian silk fabrics industry thanks to its recent restoration. The surrounding streets with old palaces such as the Tamarit tell us about this legacy that, far from being lost, is still very much alive in the traditional Valencian clothing, its workshops and shops.

The artisan of silk weaver, heir of a long family tradition, continues to design and make the delicious typical Valencian costumes that are then worn on special occasions such as the Fallas. The owners open today the doors of their shops so that we can admire centenary looms and know in detail the traditional techniques of the Valencian industry of silk fabrics.

"The Silk Road in Valencia" delves into a fundamental part of Valencian history, a chapter that had been sadly neglected, but has been recuperated in recent years. Strolling through the streets of Velluters, looking up to discover old andanas (worm beds) in the attics and learning about Valencian silk trading roads is the best way to recover a cultural heritage that made the city unique.