Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Palau de Benicarló (seat of the Republican government)
Valencia · City site
The story
When Madrid seemed about to fall in November 1936, the government of Francisco Largo Caballero left for Valencia. The city was the capital of the Republic until the government moved on to Barcelona in autumn 1937. This 15th-century Borja palace became the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republican government. The Cortes also sat in Valencia during this period, sharing the Town Hall. Here the Republic reorganised its army and dealt with the crisis of May 1937, when Juan Negrín replaced Largo Caballero. Valencia also hosted the Second International Congress of Writers for the Defence of Culture in July 1937. Since the 1980s the palace has been the seat of the Valencian parliament, the Corts Valencianes.
What you can see today
A Gothic–Renaissance palace facing Plaza de San Lorenzo. There is no Civil War display; the building itself is the point of interest.
Plan your visit
View from the square, a few minutes' walk from the Cathedral. The Corts run booked guided visits on Monday and Friday mornings (not in August); check their website.
- Booking
- Guided visits Mon & Fri at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00 (not August), by prior booking (tel. 963 188 000 or form)
Checked September 2026 from official sources: cortsvalencianes.es. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
- mapcarta.com/es/W1286369610
- es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_Benicarló
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencia_City_Hall
Nearby sites
- Refugio de la calle Serranos, Valencia · under 1 km
- Refugio antiaéreo del Ayuntamiento, Valencia · under 1 km
- Paredón de España (El Terrer), Paterna · 6 km
- Sierra de Espadán – Las Tetas & La Ràpita positions · 49 km
- Línea XYZ – La Muela & La Vegatilla trenches, Jérica · 51 km
- Línea XYZ at Viver – Morredondo, Cerro Cruz & El Ragudo bunkers · 53 km
All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →
The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The battlefields, trenches, ruined villages, shelters, museums and memorials of the Spanish Civil War across the whole of Spain, told fairly from both sides.
Open the guide