Tower of Paterna facts for kids
The Tower of Paterna (Valencian: Torre de Paterna) is a very old and important building in the town of Paterna, Spain. It's like a famous landmark for the area. People think it was built a long, long time ago, during the time when Arabs lived in Spain. It was probably used as a strong defense tower to keep the people of Paterna safe.
Today, the tower stands in a pretty park. Around it, you can see unique houses called earth houses. These houses were dug into the ground and are also very old, from the late 1700s and early 1800s.
In 1971, the Tower of Paterna was officially recognized as an important historical monument. It was then fixed up and made strong again, so it wouldn't fall apart.
What the Tower Looks Like
The Tower of Paterna has a cool cone shape, kind of like an ice cream cone! It stands about 19.5 meters (about 64 feet) tall. At the bottom, it's about 12.7 meters (about 42 feet) wide, and it gets a bit narrower at the top, where it's about 9.6 meters (about 31 feet) wide.
Inside, the tower has three different levels, plus a terrace at the very top. From this terrace, you can see amazing views of the Huerta de Valencia, which is a beautiful green area.
The first floor, at the bottom, is round. It used to be a cistern, which is like a big tank for storing rainwater. The second floor is square. You can get to it through a door that connects to a staircase on the outside wall of the tower.
The very top floor has eight sides, making it octagonal. From this floor, you can climb an inside staircase with brick steps to reach the terrace.
