Puente Nuevo
Puente Nuevo | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°44′26.69″N 5°9′57.25″W / 36.7407472°N 5.1659028°W |
Carries | Vehicular traffic |
Crosses | Guadalevín River in El Tajo gorge |
Locale | Ronda |
Characteristics | |
Material | Stone |
Total length | 66 meters |
Height | 98 meters |
No. of spans | 3 |
History | |
Designer | Domingo Lois de Monteagudo |
Construction start | 1759 |
Construction end | 1793 |
Location | |
The Puente Nuevo (Spanish pronunciation:
The construction of the newest bridge (the one standing as of 2024) was started in 1759 and took 34 years.[1] There is a chamber above the central arch that was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. During the 1936–1939 civil war both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks at the bottom of the El Tajo gorge.[2] The chamber is entered through a square building that was once the guard-house. It now contains an exhibition describing the bridge's history and construction.
Construction of the previous bridge started in 1735; this was the first attempt to span the gorge at this height. The architects Jose Garcia and Juan Camacho completed the bridge with a single arch design. This bridge was quickly and poorly built; the entire bridge collapsed in 1741, killing 50 people.
See also
References
- ^ "History of the Puente Nuevo". Ronda Today. Ronda Today. May 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- ^ Thomas (1961). p. 176.
External links
- Ronda Today English language tourist Information about Ronda and surrounding areas.