Castelló de la Plana City Council

Castelló de la Plana City Council (Palacio Municipal, the town hall) stands on Plaza Mayor in the heart of Castelló de la Plana, capital of the Castellón province in the Valencian Community. It houses the municipal government and ranks among the city's most recognisable buildings, right next to the co-cathedral of Santa María and the freestanding El Fadrí bell tower.

How do you get there?

Plaza Mayor sits in the historic centre, an easy fifteen-minute walk from Castellón-Castelló railway station. The square is reached via the main shopping streets of downtown, and city bus stops are within short walking distance. Visitors arriving by car can use parking areas around the old town, since the square itself and its immediate surroundings are largely pedestrian-only.

What will you see?

The current building went up between the late 17th and early 18th centuries in Baroque style, after the previous town hall — standing since 1339 on Plaza de la Herba — had fallen into ruin. Construction ran from 1689 to 1716 under the direction of Melchor Serrano, following plans by master builder Gil Torralba. The council formally moved into the new building on 2 February 1716, even though the works were not yet fully finished.

The façade is organised into three levels separated by horizontal cornices. The ground floor features a portico with seven arches — five facing the square and two on the sides — resting on thick Corinthian pilasters. The main floor, or piano nobile, displays three balconies, with the central one running the full width of the façade; the openings above them are topped with alternating round and triangular pediments. The uppermost level is marked by five simpler balconies, originally windows.

Inside, the town hall hosts both permanent and temporary exhibitions, including a painting collection by artists connected to Castellón from the 19th and 20th centuries, among them Puig Roda, Castell and Porcar. A particular highlight is a canvas depicting Saint Roch, attributed to Francisco Ribalta, one of the leading Baroque painters associated with the Valencian region.

Plaza Mayor itself, where the town hall stands, functions as the city's social heart — a square lined with cafés and historic buildings, facing the façade of the Santa María co-cathedral and the slender, freestanding El Fadrí tower, one of the city's best-known landmarks.

When should you visit?

The square and the town hall's façade can be admired year-round, but March draws the biggest crowds: that's when Castelló de la Plana celebrates Las Fallas, the Valencian festival of fire and ephemeral art, turning the city centre — including the area around Plaza Mayor — into a stage for parades, bonfires and fireworks. Outside the festival, spring and autumn offer the most comfortable conditions for sightseeing, since temperatures in the Valencia region are milder than at the height of summer.

Most common questions

Can visitors go inside the town hall? The building is primarily an active seat of municipal government, but selected areas host painting exhibitions open to the public — it's worth checking current opening times on site or at the local tourist information office.

What's the standout architectural feature? The Baroque façade, with its seven-arched ground-floor portico and the balconies of the main floor, each capped by ornamental pediments.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The Santa María co-cathedral and the El Fadrí tower, which together with the town hall form the historic ensemble around Plaza Mayor.

When was the current building completed? Construction ran from 1689 to 1716, and the new town hall was formally inaugurated on 2 February 1716.