We start guided tours on weekends and we organize tailor-made groups to discover the Civil War refuge, the medieval winery, the art centre and the surprising garden of the old factory.
Valencia, December 2021. - Learn and enjoy sharing. This is our objective with guided tours of the old Bombas Gens factory, where the Fundació Per Amor a l'Art (FPAA) recovered the historical shine of the architectural complex, from the Middle Ages to the present, when it inaugurated this sociocultural space in 2017.
After several years open, guided tours of the old Bombas Gens factory are restarted after the pandemic. Turiart will guide the route with all its stories and curiosities, also accessing all the scenarios of the historic complex in the same visit.
For the welcoming presentation guided tour of the Center it is proposed to make groups of visitors of a maximum of 20 people. The planned languages will be Spanish, Valencian and English. On request the service could be offered in French, Italian or German.
The scheduled duration of the regular visits is 50 minutes with up to two groups at the same time.
For the first time "it will be possible to see and explain the complete installation and not in isolation as it had been doing before" explains Elisa Maldonado, deputy director of the FPAA, who adds: "Christmas is a good time to discover with family (or friends), learn and enjoy a unique space in Valencia".
During the visit we will know these surprising spaces:
- A Civil War shelter. The factory was seized and went on to produce ammunition in the form of mortar bombs and grenades. It thus became a military target for the rebels and the Italian air raids that took place in the city of Valencia, especially between 1937 and 1938. It is precisely at that moment that this factory-type air-raid shelter is built.
- A medieval winery. To talk about this winery we have to name the old farmhouse of Comeig under which it was located. This type of farmhouses that marked the old roads of the orchard of Marxalenes, witnessed the industrial development and growth of the city. The underground cellar, is dated in a reform carried out in the farmhouse around the year 1500 and was conceived as a space for the production and storage of wine. On the ground floor of the farmhouse was located the winery, from which a circular raft has been recovered for the treading of grapes. Below this, the cellar was built easily appreciable under the vault that appeared after the excavations.
- A historic complex and a complete garden. Designed by Gustavo Marina, the garden is considered one more art space within the ensemble. Located in the back yard of the factory is conceived as the end of the museum tour, an intimate place of reflection and rest necessary to assimilate what is seen inside.
Related to two artistic movements: the Romanticism-Modernism of the building and in the Site group (Sculpture in the environment, whose motto is that art and architecture nourish each other) of the 70’s and as for the vegetal palette, inspired by Alfonse Mucha (4 stations), Mediterranean version. It is a lively, cheerful, colorful garden. Whose composition of woodland and shrubs creates tensions and drama.
The tree of three types: citrus (orange, lemon), exotic (jacaranda, ficus, Jupiter tree) and Valencian secano (carob, olive, pomegranate). The garden presents a pavement of seen continuous and adaptable like the architectural ensemble. Benches made with reused ashlars from the old factory. Site-Specific work "through" by Cristina Iglesias depicting two curved ditches in reference to the Turia river, in whose background have been sculpted intertwined roots of bronze bas-reliefs.
The schedule for the appointments will be on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 am, 12:30 and 5:30 pm. In addition, this Christmas we extend the schedule of guided tours, from Monday to Friday, from 27th to 31st December at 12:30 and 5:30 pm, as well as Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th of January at the same time, 12:30 and 5:30 pm.
"From the Foundation we believe that those who are lucky enough to be able to give, we also have the responsibility to share. And to share intelligently you must coordinate efforts, connect people and collaborate... And this works to share anything: to share time, resources, knowledge, research, affection, art, care and attention to the disadvantaged. The Foundation has different areas that encompass all this. And we want to share them with you" explain both the president and the vice president of the Fundació Per Amor A l'Art, José Luis Soler and Susana Lloret.
