The story
Welcome to one of the most iconic sights in all of Valencia. You are standing before the Torres de Serranos, a masterpiece of fourteenth-century Gothic architecture that has served as the city’s primary gateway for over six hundred years. Take a moment to look up and truly appreciate the scale of these massive twin pentagonal towers.
They were built between 1392 and 1398 by the master architect Pere Balaguer. At the time, Valencia was protected by a thick limestone wall, and this gate was the grandest of its twelve entrances, designed specifically to impress those arriving from the north. You might notice how solid and imposing the stone looks from the outside.
That was intentional. These towers were designed to demonstrate the power and wealth of the city to anyone approaching. When kings, queens, or foreign ambassadors arrived, this is where they were formally greeted with grand ceremonies.
However, if you walk through the gate and look back at it from the city side, you will see something surprising. The rear of the towers is open, revealing arched galleries and inner rooms. This wasn't a design flaw or a way to save money.
It was a clever defensive tactic. By leaving the back open, the city ensured that if an enemy ever captured the gate, they could not turn it into a fortress to use against the citizens inside. In the sixteenth century, the towers took on a much grimmer role.
Following a devastating fire in the city’s main prison, the Serranos Towers were converted into a jail, specifically for knights and the nobility. For nearly three hundred years, the echoes of prisoners replaced the fanfare of royal trumpets. It wasn't until the late 1800s that the prisoners were moved and the towers were restored to their former glory as a historical monument.
One of the most incredible stories of these stones happened much later, during the Spanish Civil War. When Madrid was under threat, the Spanish government moved masterpieces from the Prado Museum—including works by Velázquez and Goya—right here to Valencia for safety. The thick walls of the Torres de Serranos were reinforced with a massive layer of concrete and sand to protect the world’s most precious art from aerial bombings.
These towers literally stood guard over the soul of Spanish culture. Today, the atmosphere here is far more celebratory. Every February, thousands of people gather right where you are standing for La Crida.
This is the moment the Fallera Mayor stands on the towers and declares to the world that the Las Fallas festival has begun. If you have the energy, I highly recommend climbing the stairs to the battlements. From the top, you will get a breathtaking view of the Turia Garden, the lush green park that was once a riverbed, and the terracotta roofs of the Old Town.
It is the best place to feel the heartbeat of Valencia, a city that honors its history while embracing the future.