Puente Nuevo
| Puente Nuevo | |
|---|---|
 Puente Nuevo in El Tajo gorge | |
| Carries | Vehicular traffic |
| Crosses | Guadalevín River in El Tajo gorge |
| Locale | Ronda |
| Material | Stone |
| Number of spans | 3 |
| Coordinates | 36°44′26.69″N 5°9′57.25″W / 36.7407472°N 5.1659028°WCoordinates: 36°44′26.69″N 5°9′57.25″W / 36.7407472°N 5.1659028°W |
The Puente Nuevo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpwente ˈnweβo], "New Bridge") is the newest and largest of three bridges that span the 120-metre (390 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 started in 1751 and took 42 years to build. Fifty workers were killed during its construction. There is a chamber beneath 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.[citation needed] 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.
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Puente Nuevo de Ronda. |
- 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