La Presa – Water Engineering and Industrial History

La Presa represents an unusual combination of water management, remembrance and landscape. At its heart is the La Presa water treatment plant: it is a century-old water supply facility that supplies València and the metropolitan area. Its function provides the thematic framework for structures and traces from different historical periods.

Culture

The Assut de la Presa is part of the area’s water-related history. It dates from 1850 and supplies drinking water to València and the municipalities of the metropolitan area. The weir known as La Presa fed the Sèquia dels Alcavons, known as the Acequia de Manises. The connection between the structure and the watercourse is one of the area’s notable historical references.

History

The La Presa water treatment plant in Manises is considered Europe’s oldest plant still in operation at its original location. Buildings more than one hundred years old are preserved at the plant as evidence of its industrial past. Some former workers’ houses are still preserved at the entrance.

Another historical reference concerns the Acequia de Manises. James I granted it a special royal privilege. This privilege allowed the Acequia de Manises to use water for irrigation. It also included the use of water for ceramic workshops.

Archaeological Traces

Archaeological remains from the Roman period were found in the water channels at La Presa metro station. The site adds a Roman historical layer to the picture of the water infrastructure. When comparing culture and history, technical structures, preserved industrial architecture and archaeological traces stand side by side here as different points of access.

The different testimonies can be arranged into three thematic areas for exploring La Presa: water engineering with its weir and watercourses, industrial history with the plant and workers’ houses, and archaeology with the Roman remains. The recreational area complements this historical perspective with a landscape-related focus. This allows travellers to experience the area according to their cultural, technical or landscape-related interests.

Nature

The Área recreativa de La Presa recreational area is located in Manises next to València’s water treatment plant. In this spatial proximity, the plant’s technical function meets the theme of recreation. For your planning, cultural and historical traces and the landscape-related focus can be considered separately without reducing La Presa to just one perspective.

A holiday apartment in La Presa can be assessed based on travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions. In terms of content, however, La Presa’s waterworks, industrial history, Roman remains and recreational area stand side by side as distinct topics.

Other Places

Jalance, Xeraco, Gandía, Ayora, Piles, Canet D'en Berenguer, Miramar and Silla

The status of the recreational area should be placed in a clear time frame: On 26 March 2026, the La Presa recreational area had been completely destroyed following the DANA from 28 October to 4 November 2024; due to the high flood risk at the original site, relocation to a safer setting was planned.

For the overarching travel overview: Valencia.