Puente de Alcolea

Although of Roman origin, the current Puente de Alcolea bridge, in the district of Alcolea in Córdoba, was part of the renovation of infrastructures undertaken during the reign of Carlos III. Construction began in 1787 and it was finished during the reign of Carlos IV, in 1792.

There are witnesses that the old bridge was of Roman origin and, therefore, would have been there during the Modern Age. The original must have been very big, taking into account the surroundings and the modern bridge, with twenty vaults, which makes it very long. It was an important crossroads and during the Modern Age the Alcolea bridge was where the Camino de Toledo and the Road from Seville to Barcelona separated.

The 20 vaults and more than 300 metres of walkway were the site of two key battles for the city and the country: The French invasion at the beginning of the 19th century, and that of 'La Gloriosa', in the middle of the century, between the troops of Isabel II and the military rebels (1868). Nearby there is another magnificent bridge, this one is made of iron and carries the railway.