The Turia River was once Valencia’s lifeline, but it also brought death and devastation from time to time as it flooded and destroyed things in its path. The worst was in 1957, dubbed the great flood of Valencia, after which the river was diverted near the western limits of the city to flow towards the Mediterranean. Interestingly, instead of abandoning the old river bed, the city devised a unique project in which the entire length was converted into gardens for public use. Called the Turia Gardens, the stretch is quite popular, with people enjoying themselves throughout the day. It has a series of parks, ponds, walking and jogging paths, fountains, beautiful flowering bushes, trees, football pitches, cafés, artworks, climbing walls, an athletics track, a zen garden and plenty more. In addition, there are bridges at regular intervals, some of which are interesting works in themselves.