Puente Colgante de Vizcaya
Puente Colgante de Vizcaya · Bilbao
Por Spain ·
The Vizcaya Bridge, very close to Bilbao, is the world’s oldest transporter bridge, and it remains fully operational to this day: almost six million passengers cross it every year. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was opened in 1893 and was designed by the architect Alberto de Palacio.
The structure is 45 metres high and 160 metres long, and spans the River Nervión, linking the towns of Portugalete and Getxo.
It is a revolutionary piece of engineering, as it was the world’s first transporter bridge to allow river navigation at the same time, thanks to a suspended gondola that moves from one bank to the other. This technique was later used in many similar bridges across Europe, Africa and the Americas.
The Vizcaya Bridge, the first site in Spain to be designated a Historic Industrial Heritage Site, is described by UNESCO as “an exceptional expression of technical creativity, perfectly combining functionality and aesthetic beauty”. Furthermore, its influence on the development of subsequent transporter bridges – many of which have since disappeared – is particularly noteworthy.
More at spain.info
#patrimonio #visitspain
