The Parque de Marchalenes (or Marxalenes, in Valencian) is situated in the middle of the north-western neighborhood of Valencia which shares its name, and was inaugurated in June of 2001.
At 80,000 square meters, Marchalenes is one of the largest parks in the city and has a lot to offer residents, from sports fields, to playgrounds to a cafeteria. It’s dedicated to the Huerta, or “garden”, of Valencian past, which provided sustenance to rural households, and often included ornamental gardens. These concepts are represented in the park’s layout, along with a “forest” lake that provides water via aqueducts to the rest of the grounds.
As part of Marchalenes’ homage to the huerta, a number of old buildings have been preserved for the present day, such as the Casa de Voro — a small, typical rural building constructed in the 1900s on top of a barraca. There’s also a number of medieval farmhouses (alquerías) and even an old oil factory. Many are still under construction, so can’t currently be visited.
The Ayuntamiento has a PDF about the Parque de Marchalenes which is as informative as it is difficult to find. The park, which is still in the process of reconstruction, is an interesting little slice of the city. It’s not necessarily the most beautiful of Valencia’s green areas, but certainly vibrant and popular with the neighbors.
