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Puente del Diablo (Martorell)
Encyclopedia
Llobregat
The Llobregat is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain. It originates in Castellar de n'Hug at an altitude of 1,259 meters in the Serra del Cadí, and ends in the Mediterranean Sea, in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona...
in Martorell
Martorell
Martorell is a town near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, primarily known for its medieval Devil's bridge.It has three railway stations - one on the RENFE line from Manresa to Sant Vicenç de Calders called "Martorell", and three on the FGC line from Barcelona to Manresa called "Martorell-Vila",...
-Castellbisbal
Castellbisbal
Castellbisbal is a municipality in the comarca of Vallès Occidental in Catalonia. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river at its confluence with the Rubíriver...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, 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 present bridge, featuring a large pointed arch, was constructed in 1283 on Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
foundations. The main clear span is an impressive 37.3 m with a stone chapel on top. A secondary arch has a span of 19.1 m. The bridge was destroyed in 1939 during the Spanish 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...
by retreating Republican
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
troops, but rebuilt in 1965 in a form generally similar to the gothic structure.
The bridge features a Roman triumphal arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
at its eastern abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
. It is unclear how many spans the original Roman bridge had. Today the bridge is restricted to pedestrians.
See also
- Roman bridgeRoman bridgeRoman bridges, built by ancient Romans, were the first large and lasting bridges built. Roman bridges were built with stone and had the arch as its basic structure....
- List of Roman bridges
Other very large medieval bridges
- 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) - Puente de San Martín (Toledo)Puente de San Martín (Toledo)The Puente de San Martín is a medieval bridge across the river Tagus in Toledo, Spain. The bridge was constructed in the late 14th century by archbishop Pedro Tenorio to provide access to the old town from the west, complementing the older Puente de Alcántara linking to the east...
(40 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...
(48.70 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...
(49.20 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)