The Silk Exchange of Valencia: Did you know that one of Valencia's most beautiful buildings was also one of Europe's first financial centers? Welcome to the Silk Exchange, a jewel of stone, economy and commercial power that today forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site… and that, of course, You can discover it on our guided or self-guided tour of HistARy Valencia.

What is the Silk Exchange?

Built between 1482 and 1533 at the height of Valencia's commercial boom, the Silk Exchange It was much more than a market: it was the economic heart of a city in full swing. Its main function was to serve as a headquarters for the silk trade—hence its name—but it also hosted commercial contracts, diplomatic meetings and even economic trials in the so-called Consulate of the Sea.

Architecture with character (and columns that look like trees)

The building is one of the best examples of the European civil Gothic. His Contracting Room It's a marvel: a large open space with tall helical columns that look like stone palm trees, covered by a ribbed vault that will make your head spin (literally). The feeling when you enter is that of being in a cathedral... but a commercial one. And like any good medieval building, it also has its tower with dungeon (because who doesn't need a jail in their stock market?).

A bank… with its own court?

That's right! On the top floor of the tower used to operate the Court of the Consulate of the Sea, where merchants settled their disputes. It was a pioneering commercial court in Europe, based on respect for the contract and the word. In other words, a kind of medieval arbitration without TikTok lawyers.