Sueca: A Small Town Near Valencia With Some Real Gems of Modernism
I will admit it from the beginning: Sueca is not a must-see destination in the region. There are many places with much more to see and admire. But if you are somewhere nearby and have spare hours, you should go there.
At first glance, the town looks depressing. The lifeless landscape of the railway station and insipid residential areas meet you from the start of your trip. But this is where the actual fun starts. In Sueca, you will have to make your own discoveries of the beauty, especially if you are a fan of modernist architecture.
Sueca is a part of the Art Nouveau European Route (a list of cities worldwide with Art Nouveau heritage). So that is the best way to plan your trip. A checklist of buildings worth seeing there is the following.
Asilo de los Ancianos Desamparados
This is a nursing home constructed in the year 1919 in the Neomudejar and Valencian modernist style by the local architect Buenaventura Ferrando Castells.
Neomudejar is a modernist rethinking of the Mudejar style (XIII-XVI centuries), a unique direction in architecture of the Iberian peninsula which is basically a mix of Islamic and Christian motifs.
This set of nursing buildings is located on the outskirts of Sueca and is separated from the city center by railway. Such asylum has been present in the city since 1888 by the initiative of The Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly (a religious institute, members of which dedicated themselves to the care of the elderly). The same organization runs the building currently.
Ateneo Sueco del Socorro
This beautiful building is a cultural institution founded in 1869. Its initial purpose was to wash away the barriers between different classes of society.
The best thing about this building is that nowadays it is a restaurant, and you can see the interior as well. And it is worth seeing. On the outside and the inside, the design is different. The facade is of Valencian modernist style, with lots of ornamental details and natural bends.
The interior is very geometrical, although still generously decorated, which makes it more of the Art Deco style.
This is the project of the local Suecan architect Juan Guardiola and dates back to the year 1927. You can see his works in Valencia and Barcelona, too. Juan Guardiola’s project won a Second Prize at the Valencia Regional Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1934.
The building is not in good condition now. The restaurant is of rather poor quality yet still worth visiting just for a glass of beer. It immerses you in the older times and makes your fantasy process different scenarios of the times when this place was luxurious and live.
Casa de Pascual Fos
This is another work of the architect Buenaventura Ferrando Castells, the one who constructed a nursery home. It was built in 1909 in the style of Valencian modernism.
At the top of the main door, you can see the initials “PF” which stands for Pascual Fos, the owner and the construction customer of the building.
For some time, the building was the headquarters of the local library, until the latter was moved to the new municipal building.
The final thoughts
The above list is not exhaustive, as while wandering around the unremarkable buildings, you will see some gems here and there (hence the title of my story). To give some more hints, try looking for the buildings of Escuela Jardin Ateneo, Ayuntamiento, and Casas de Ignacia Cardona.
You are likely to catch surprised glances from the locals while taking photos or just delighting in the architecture. They have probably never noticed these buildings before. So, you are discovering the city not only for yourself but for others, too.
It is not the same experience as if you would have visited Barcelona. There, you don’t have to strain yourself to find beauty, as it is everywhere. In Sueca, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
