THE ROYAL SHIPYARDS

The origins of the shipyards go back to the 27th of August 1338, when the Council decided to build a warehouse for storing sails, oars and other related objects. The ‘Atarazanas’ are mentioned in municipal documents at the end of the fourteenth century, where they are first referred to as a shipyard. The yards are a testimony to the splendour of the bourgeois commercial class of Valencia in the 15th century. Despite the resemblance to the Roman shipyards or dockyards, its name seems to be derived from the Arabic expression ‘Dar al Sinaa’ (The Arabs had similar structures, though defended by towers and walls). The building is currently home to the Joaquín Saludes Maritime Museum and houses temporary exhibitions.