Post office in Valencia | Once Upon a Bike

Are you planning to visit Valencia? Then you might be interested in some more information about the beautiful Post Office of Valencia.

At the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (town hall square), you’ll find the post office (in Spanish the ‘Palacio de Correos y Telégrafos’, ‘Edificio de Correos’ or ‘Palacio de Comunicaciones’. It’s a beautiful building and for sure worth the visit. Here you can read more about the Palacio de Correos y Telégrafos.

History

The design of the post office was announced in 1914 by Miguel Angel Navarro. Later on, in 1915 they started the construction of the Palacio de Correos y Telégrafos. Seven years later they finished the building, but they didn’t use it immediately. A year later, in 1923 the building was inaugurated as post office. What you maybe won’t expect is that the post office is build at the ground of what used to be a fishing district. Nearby the post office is ‘Calle de las Barcas’ located, which means ‘street of the boats’.

About the building

Nowadays the post office is a well-known monument in Valencia and is registrated as cultural heritage. You can find many different symbols and statues in and on the building. On the front, above the entrance you see five continents portrayed as humans. To help you a bit; the middle one symbolizes Europe. Do you see the other ones? You also see a boat and a train. In the past these were the ways of transport for the post. On top of the post office you find a big metal tower, which you probably see when you look at the post office from a distance.
Inside the post office there’s a big dome. It has a ceiling made of glass that consists of 370 (!!) panels. In these panels you’ll see the 48 provinces of Spain. In the middle of this impressive ceiling you see the weapon of Valencia.

The designer

Miguel Ángel Navarro Pérez is the designer of the Palacio de Correos y Telégrafos. He’s the son of Félix Navarro Pérez, who is also a architect. Creativity is in the family’s blood, Miguel’s nephew Leandro Navarro Pérez was besides a Spanish agronomist and pathologist also a photographer and a documentary maker. Miguel Ángel Navarro Pérez was born in Zaragoza on 4 October 1883. He died in the same city on 26 January 1956.

Miguel was married to María Ángel Navarro. María was also born in Zaragoza. Miguel and María got four kids together; María Esperanza, José Luis, Francisco en Julio.

Miguel was a very smart man, who studied in different Spanish cities and in the French city Bayona. His completed studies are artistic drawing, modelling, road construction and public works. After living a while in Madrid, he moved to Barcelona. In Barcelona, on 23 June 1911, he got his degree for the School of Architecture.
Miguel became a well-known and talented man. In 1916 and in the meantime living in Zaragoza, he was appointed as municipal architect of Zuera, a town in Tarazona, province Zaragoza. In 1920 he was an appointed municipal councillor. Later, in 1932 he became Head of Architecture. This meant he led the city plans of Zaragoza.