The making of a cultural route “The Silk Paths”. Walking route throughout the main silk industry areas around Valencia’s Historic Centre

In “Silk Paths” is emphasised the importance of silk industry on the social, economic, historic and artistic level in the city of Valencia. Faculty of Geography and History and CaminArt.

The route will have three blocks:  

• Barrio de Velluters. Tamarit Palace and Colegio Mayor de la Seda.  
• La Lonja surroundings. Workshops, graphic labelling and production of contemporary fans. 
• Barrio del Carmen, which includes the visit to an ancient craft workshop that preserves a loom.

Within this cultural route you can visit the Colegio de Arte Mayor de la Seda (the only one of its kind in Spain, it will also be the future Silk Museum); Lonja de la Seda (Silk Market); different craft factories that preserve looms, as the José Luis March factory; Tamarit palace; as well as streets and venues related to vellut (velvet) guilds and everyone related to such prosperous market. It will be taken into account both intangible heritage and velluters traditional knowledge about looms functioning that was transmitted orally.

Not having the final itinerary designed, the route could start at Barrio de Velluters (Velluters neighbourhood) that still today preserves guilds and silk references as in Tamarit palace. It includes the visit to the future silk museum at Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda. Following this, the tour will move towards Lonja’s trading environment, visiting streets where the former silk factories and some original signs still today preserved were located. In this environment, you can visit a factory-store that manufactures traditional fans, some of which are made of silk. Finally, we would go all over barrio del Carmen. This neighbourhood maintains a silk-related craft workshop located in Calle Mare Vella which, as a matter of fact, preserves a valuable loom. 

There is a chance that this tour will include an optional visit to the former factory of silk Garín in Moncada since it has a rich collection of traditional weaver’s shuttle (espolines), tools, draws and cartboards, as well as 11 jacquard looms still in use. This would be an optional part. Users transfer could be done by underground or any other public transport. 

The route’s content, hence, includes a wide view on older Valencian trades and professions related to the textile and silk industry, with special emphasis on the Velluters trade added to the future silk museum and several workshops related to silk,

The main objective is: understand the importance that had the silk industry in Valencia. 

Specific objectives are:

•  Making silk industry’s cultural impact and content visible: material heritage (textiles, machineries, tools, buildings...), its artistic legacy and its non-material heritage.  
• Positioning Valencia within the Silk Road’s international circuit.  
• Promoting a feeling of appropriation of the silk heritage among Valencian inhabitants. 

Spreading the Silk Road and widening its impact through new technologies and the creation of Qr codes or useful app for the local public or for tourists in order to carry out a local geographical situating plan.

Date: during the year.