Puente de San Martín (Toledo)
Encyclopedia
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
in Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The bridge was constructed in the late 14th century by archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Pedro Tenorio to provide access to the old town from the west, complementing the older Puente de Alcántara linking to the east. Both sides of the bridge were heavily fortified with towers, the more recent dating from the 16th century.
The Puente de San Martín features five arches, with the largest in the middle reaching an impressive span length of 40 m. Only very few bridges in the world had reached that mark until then.
See also
Other very large medieval bridges- Puente del Diablo (Martorell)Puente del Diablo (Martorell)The Pont del Diable is a medieval bridge crossing the river Llobregat in Martorell-Castellbisbal, Catalonia, Spain. The present bridge, featuring a large pointed arch, was constructed in 1283 on Roman foundations. The main clear span is an impressive 37.3 m with a stone chapel on top. A...
(37.3 m span) - Ponte della MaddalenaPonte della MaddalenaPonte della Maddalena is a bridge crossing the Serchio river near the town of Borgo a Mozzano in the Italian province of Lucca...
(37.8 m span) - Nyons BridgeNyons BridgeThe Nyons Bridge is a medieval bridge over the river Eygues in Nyons in southern France.The bridge was completed in 1407. It features a single span of 40.53 m, quite large for the standards of the day.- See also :*List of medieval bridges in France...
(40.53 m span) - Pont du Diable (Céret)Pont du Diable (Céret)The Pont du Diable or Pont Vieux is a medieval stone arch bridge at Céret, France, built between 1321 and 1341. Spanning the river Tech with an imposing single arch of 45.45 m span length, the Pont du Diable featured at the time of its construction the world's largest bridge arch.The apex of the...
(45.45 m span) - Castelvecchio BridgeCastelvecchio BridgeThe Castelvecchio Bridge or Scaliger Bridge is a fortified bridge in Verona, northern Italy, over the Adige River...
(48.7 m span) - Pont Grand (Tournon-sur-Rhône)Pont Grand (Tournon-sur-Rhône)The Pont Grand is a stone bridge connecting Tournon-sur-Rhône to Saint-Jean-de-Muzols, in Ardèche, France, built between 1379 and 1583. The bridge features a single, semi-circular arch over the river Doux with a span of 49.20 m...
(49.2 m span) - Pont de Vieille-BrioudePont de Vieille-BrioudePont de Vieille-Brioude is located in France, crossing Allier River. It is a masonry arch bridge with a span of that was built in 1832....
(54.2 m span) - Trezzo sull'Adda BridgeTrezzo sull'Adda BridgeThe Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge or Trezzo Bridge was a medieval bridge at Trezzo sull'Adda in Lombardy, Italy, spanning the Adda river. Completed in 1377, the single arch bridge held the record for the largest span for over four hundred years, until the beginnings of the Industrial Age, while it was...
(72 m span)