Valencia Town Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The original Latin name of the city was Valentia (/wa'lentia/), meaning "strength", "valour", the city being named for the roman practice of recognizing the valour of former Roman soldiers after a war. The Roman historian Titus Livius (Livy) explains that the foundation of Valentia in the 2nd century BC was due to the settling of the Roman soldiers who fought against Iberian local rebel Viriatus.
Valencia (Catalan: Val่ncia) is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 810,064 in 2008[1]. It is the 22nd-most populous municipality in the European Union and 35th-most populous urban area in the European Union with a population of 1,175,000[2] 1.7 million people live in the Valencia metropolitan area
It forms part of an industrial area on the Costa del Azahar. Its main festival, the Fallas (Falles in Valencian), has a reputation throughout Spain, while the world famous Spanish dish paella originated around Valencia.
The city contains a dense monumental heritage (including the Lonja de la Seda (World Heritage Site since 1996), but its landmark is undoubtedly the City of Arts and Sciences an avant-garde and futuristic museum complex.
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