The Lonja de la Seda (Spanish) or Llotja de la Seda ( Valencian ), to German silk exchange , is located in the Spanish Valencia in the autonomous community of Valencia . It is one of the city's main attractions and a World Heritage Site . It is currently the seat of the Valencian Culture Academy and a frequent exhibition venue.
history
The Lonja was founded in 1469 as an oil market. The design comes from a similar building in Palma . The architects were Pere Compte , Juan Yvarra, Domingo Urtiaga and Johan Corbera. The first stones were delivered on February 15, 1483; This means that construction began on that day. So it took until 1533 for the building with its crenellated tower and the Gothic contract hall to be completed. During the following centuries the Lonja served as a silk exchange.
It is considered to be one of the most important secular Gothic buildings in Europe. It consists of four parts: the tower, the Consulat de la Mar room, the orange tree courtyard and the pillared room. The entire complex with built and undeveloped zones is over 2,000 m². Since 7 December 1996, the Lonja belongs to the UNESCO - World Heritage Site .
gallery
View of the facade
The contract hall
View from below in the contract hall
Coat of arms of the city of Valencia on the facade