MEANING OF HERITAGE
For us, heritage means culture, tradition, material goods, languages, wealth and anything that represents our region. It is more than any assigned title or a simple name, heritage is our possession, a feeling, it means being proud of our region and being able to show the world our great wealth as a community. Onda's heritage is monuments, buildings, museums, sculptures, languages such as Valencian and Castilian, our traditions, our Mediterranean diet, our population and neighbours, our streets, our families and our pride.
EUROPEAN HERITAGE
European heritage has a wide variety of cultural, historical, artistic, architectural, and natural elements. It shows the evolution, diversity and identity of the continent and its people.
In Europe we have several monuments with great historical importance, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Alhambra in Granada or the Roman Coliseum, one of the seven contemporary wonders. In addition to having important museums such as the Louvre or the Prado Museum. We even have a wide variety of languages, whether they originate from Latin or evolved from Greek or the Germanic language.
In Europe we have the UNESCO World Heritage, which recognizes different natural places as a great valuable legacy for human beings.
In addition, we have traditions specific to each country, music, dance, and a wide historical heritage, such as the world wars or the Renaissance and the Middle Ages.
The European Union is the one that protects and defends all this heritage, and each country contributes unique things to have a common heritage that is unique to Europe.
EUROPEAN HISTORY IN ONDA
Both in Onda and in the entire autonomous community, there have been several European historical movements that have influenced the region, such as the Renaissance and Romanticism, which have contributed to architectural, literary, traditional, and artistic changes, among others.
CULTURAL HERITAGE OF ONDA
In Onda we have many buildings and infrastructures in its historic centre considered a Historic and Artistic Site and a Site of Cultural Interest in 1967.
Onda is a city of approximately 25,000 inhabitants located in the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, in Spain. It has a quite rich history and an impressive cultural and architectural heritage, in addition to its ceramic tradition.
HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
Castillo de las 300 torres: this is a medieval castle, better known as the Onda Castle, one of the great emblems of Onda. It is located on top of a hill, and you can enjoy an impressive visit to its facilities as well as offering incredible views of the entire city. Its name is due to its enormous historical dimension.
The Old Town has been declared a BIC, it preserves a medieval image with narrow and picturesque streets. It has many buildings, such as the Church of the Assumption and the Church of San Bartolomé.
MUSEUMS
El Carmen Natural Science Museum: this museum has an extensive collection related to flora, fauna, fossils, and minerals. There you can learn about the biodiversity of religion and the world.
Manolo Safont Tile Museum: this museum represents an essential part of Onda's identity, paying homage to the old tile tradition. It consists of an enormous collection of tiles and ceramics that show the evolution of this tradition from its beginnings to today.
CERAMICS TRADITION
For centuries, this region has had a strong link with ceramics, and today it is an international reference in this sector. This industry has taken its name beyond the Spanish borders. In addition, this tradition is present in the decorations of buildings and public spaces in the city.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Onda has several natural sites, such as the Sierra de Espadán Park, a protected area ideal for hiking, cycling and other outdoor activities. This environment contributes to the tourist appeal of the city.
CAL ROUTES
In Spain we have routes called CAL, that is, scientific, artistic and literary routes in which a couple of groups of students from different cities are selected to be able to learn about the heritage of other regions of our country. In our case, we did Route 1: from the Arab garden to the Roman sea, in which they took us to different cities in the south of the peninsula, such as Granada, Murcia, Cartagena or Cabo de Gata. They taught us various things related to their cultural heritage, such as the functions of greenhouses or the history of the Alhambra. However, there are 8 different routes, one of them focused on Valencia and its surroundings, where they also explain about our nearby heritage. In addition, during our visit, we were explaining to the students from the other city about our tradition and cultural interests.