A POEM A DAY - JARDÍ DEL TÚRIA


I love city parks, the green lungs of urban areas where people can rest and breathe amongst trees. This park in Valencia is a ribbon of peace running through the city, in the dried river bed of the River Turia. The river was diverted after deadly flooding in 1957 killed 81 people and a plan was formed to protect the city from the risk of future flooding. The people of Valencia campaigned to turn the river bed into an urban park, with the campaign slogan ‘el riu és nostre i el volem verd’, ‘the river is ours and we want it green’. The people won and the park was completed in 1986. It runs for 7 kilometres and is the largest urban park in Spain. It is spanned by more than 20 bridges, many centuries old. It is a space for quiet walking, exercise, jogging, biking, concerts and events, welcoming residents and visitors and loved by all. 



© 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved. 

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