Almaraz is a town in

Cáceres Province Cáceres is a Spanish surname and placename and may refer to: * Province of Cáceres, in Spain ** Cáceres (Spanish Congress Electoral District), which covers the province * Cáceres, Spain, the capital of Cáceres Province, not a bishopric * Cáce ...

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

, Spain. As of 2005, its population is 1,295. It is on the

European route E90 European route E 90 is an A-Class West–East European route, extending from Lisbon in Portugal in the west to the Turkish–Iraqi border in the east. It is connected to the M5 of the Arab Mashreq International Road Network Itinerary ...

. It is the home of the

Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station at Almaraz in Spain and uses the Tagus River, that runs into Portugal, for cooling. It consists of two PWRs of 1011 and 1006 MWe. The Arrocampo reservoir as system to refrigerate the Nucle ...

. A large

solar power plant A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building- ...

is being built in the town. The bridge over the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...

at Almaraz was built by Emperor Carlos I in the 16th Century and was known by the local people as the Albalat Bridge; however, it was destroyed by the Spanish on 14 March 1809 to prevent its use by the French during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

.Pedro Prieto and Robert Burnham, "The Destruction of the Bridge at Almaraz: 18 - 19 May 1812" ''The Napoleon Series'' November 2002
retrieved on January 18, 2009. In the

Battle of Almaraz The Battle of Almaraz was a battle of the Peninsular War which took place on 18–19 May 1812, in which the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Lord Hill destroyed a French pontoon bridge across the River Tagus, in Almaraz, Spain. The bridge was ...

on 18/19 May 1812, the

Anglo-Portuguese Army The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and Portugal, Portuguese army that participated in the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesl ...

under Lord Hill destroyed a French pontoon bridge across the Tagus which was protected by two French garrisons at either end. Later, the old bridge at Almaraz has been repaired and can be driven across.

References

Municipalities in the Province of Cáceres {{extremadura-geo-stub