Lonja de la Seda

The Silk Exchange encapsulates two feats of Valencia’s Golden Age: masterful artistic expression and mercantile power.

The Lonja de la Seda, also called Llotja de la Seda in Valencian (meaning Silk Exchange in English) is a Mediaeval trading centre and one of the key examples of Valencian Gothic civil buildings.

The Mediterranean Gothic, a style peculiar to the region, reverberates in the halls of the building. In a display of elongated and evocative lines, intricate shapes and decorations, allegorical carvings and bas-reliefs, the building speaks to its architects’ devotion to the craft.

The interior patio of the Lonja de la Seda in Valencia
The Lonja de la Seda has a quiet interior patio, known as Patio de los Naranjos.

The complex is representative of the power and wealth held by Valencia’s emerging merchant class in the 15th century. At that time, the city was becoming one of the most important Mediterranean mercantile centres. It was precisely this condition that allowed for the project of such an imposing building to be conceived.

As meticulously detailed as the façade is, it still does not do justice to the striking architecture and stone masonry that awaits inside the Silk Exchange. The columns and staircases will surprise you in their resemblance to natural shapes. The walls, doorways, windows, and ceilings will amaze you with their painstakingly detailed decorations.

Serpentine figures and tormented faces hide in every corner of the structure. Thousands of stone eyes follow those that walk the halls of the Lonja, belonging to sometimes grotesque, sometimes frightening, and some other times, enigmatic figures.

The stone figures in la Lonja de la Seda in Valencia
Inside the Silk Exchange you’ll find plenty of Gothic figures engraved in the stone. In the picture, you can see the corbels of the halls decorated with creatures and human figures.

You can find this UNESCO World Heritage site right in the heart of Valencia’s Old Town, in front of the Central Market. Because of its extremely central position, the Lonja can be part of any itinerary that passes by the city centre.

Venue
Lonja de la Seda
Venue Type Visit duration Cost VTC discount
Lonja de la Seda Historical building Around 45 min. € 2.00 Free entry

Discounts and free entry may apply, including in the case of the Valencia Tourist Card.

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