Mosaics and painted tiles at Estación del Norte showing Valencian Huerta
Estación del Norte

Brief history

The construction of the Estación del Norte you see today, was due to the great commercial and industrial expansion Valencia was experiencing at the time (late 19th - early 20th centuries).

Estación del Norte in Valencia now and then
Here, you can see a comparison of the station under construction (early 20th century), and the station today.
  • 1851 First Station in Valencia

    The first railway station in Valencia (and with it, the third railway line in all of Spain at the time), was built on the grounds of the old San Francisco Convent, where Plaza del Ayuntamiento stands today. This first station was called Estación del Norte.

  • 1906 Design and construction

    The new North Station was commissioned by the Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte and designed by Valencian architect Demetrio Ribes Marco. The company at the time had the most extended railway network in Spain. Works on the site began in August.

  • 1906-1917 Two stations

    While the new Estación del Norte was under construction, trains still had to get to the old North Station. They would do this by crossing the unfinished façade of the new station and proceeding down the current Avenida del Marqués de Sotelo (view map) until arriving at the old train station.

  • 1917 Inauguration

    The current Estación del Norte was inaugurated, and the old one was demolished.

  • 1941 Nationalisation

    The railway network was nationalised. The station was thus passed from the hands of the Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte to those of RENFE (Spanish national railway network). Regardless, the name del Norte remains.

  • 1961 Monument

    The current station was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument.

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