Puente Nuevo
Encyclopedia
The Puente Nuevo is the newest and largest of three bridges that span the 120 metres (393.7 ft)-deep chasm
that carries the Guadalevín River and divides the city of Ronda
, in southern Spain. The architect was José Martin de Aldehuela, who died in Málaga
in 1802. The chief builder was Juan Antonio Díaz Machuca.
The bridge was built in 1751 and took a total of 42 years to build. There is a chamber beneath the central arch that was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. During the civil war
(1936 to 1939), both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks below at the bottom of the El Tajo canyon. One enters the chamber via a square building that was once the guard-house. It contains an exhibition describing the bridge's history and construction.
The bridge is supposedly one of the most photographed structures in Spain.
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
that carries the Guadalevín River and divides the city of Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, in southern Spain. The architect was José Martin de Aldehuela, who died in Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
in 1802. The chief builder was Juan Antonio Díaz Machuca.
The bridge was built in 1751 and took a total of 42 years to build. There is a chamber beneath the central arch that was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. During the civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
(1936 to 1939), both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks below at the bottom of the El Tajo canyon. One enters the chamber via a square building that was once the guard-house. It contains an exhibition describing the bridge's history and construction.
The bridge is supposedly one of the most photographed structures in Spain.
External links
- Puente Nuevo and its history
- Old Bridge in Ronda Andalucia Pictures and history of the biggest of the three bridges in Ronda
- 3D Virtual Tour of Tajo de Ronda, 08/05/2011