Valencia. Рlaza llano del Real. Guard towers (Torres de los Guardas)
After crossing the Royal bridge over the former bed of the river Turia, we will get to the Plaza llano del Real (the Square of the Royal residence). In the center of the square is the elegant fountain "Four seasons" (Font de les quatre estacions on the map). The drinking spring in 1863 was decorated with a cast-iron sculpture made of cast iron by the French firm Barbezat. The fountain is made in the "city of Versailles" and imitates the work of Francois Girardon.
A little further on the Boulevard Albareda (Passeig de l Albereda), on the other side of the embankment is a monument to the Treasurer of king Ferdinand II, Luis de Santangel (Luis de Santangel on the map ).
Santangel is known for having convinced Queen Isabella in 1492 to
Finance the voyages of Christopher Columbus and invested considerable
personal funds in this venture. Prior
to this, the project of Columbus's journey did not find support from
the monarchs, and the Navigator began to seek contacts with the French
court. Thanks to Santangel's foresight, Spain gained huge colonies in the New World. This story is shown in the film "1492: the Conquest
of Paradise", with Gerard Depardieu as Columbus and Frank Langella as
Santangel.
On the other side of the Boulevard there is a bust of Antonio Jose De Cavanilles (Antonio Joseph de Cavanilles) "a distinguished Spanish botanist who worked at the University of Valencia. For the first time in Botanical science, he described many plants, in particular, growing in Oceania.
Further along the Boulevard are the Guard towers (Torres de los Guardas on the map), built on the main road to the Royal Palace by order of mayor Rodrigo Caballero (Rodrigo Caballero) in 1714. The towers are named San Felipe and San Jaime (San Felipe,San Jaime). During
the war with Napoleon, the Palace was destroyed by the Valencians
themselves, so that the French troops could not use it to plant guns
that could bombard the right Bank of the city. These towers are the only surviving structures of the beautiful Palace complex, created in the 14th century.
The facades of the towers are decorated with coats of arms of noble families of Valencia.
One of the educational institutions of the University of Valencia is the College of the slave Mary (Colegio de las Esclavas de María)
