The Puerta del Puente (Spanish: "Gate of the Bridge") is a Renaissance gate in Córdoba, Andalusia. Built in the 16th century to commemorate a visit to the city by King Philip II, the gateway is located on the site of the previous Roman gates, linking the city with the

Roman bridge The ancient Romans were the first civilization to build large, permanent bridges. Early Roman bridges used techniques introduced by Etruscan immigrants, but the Romans improved those skills, developing and enhancing methods such as arches and ...

and the

Via Augusta The ''Via Augusta'' (also known as the ''Via Herculea'' or ''Via Exterior'') was the longest and busiest of the major roads built by the Romans in ancient Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). According to historian Pierre Sillières, who has super ...

. Since 1931, the gate, together with the Roman bridge and the

Calahorra tower The Calahorra tower (Spanish: ''Torre de la Calahorra'') is a fortified gate in the historic centre of Córdoba, Spain. The edifice is of Islamic origin. History It was first erected by the Almohad Caliphate to protect the nearby Roman Bridge ...

, has been declared a

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" (" goods" in the economic sense) and incl ...

in the monument category. It also part of the historic centre of Cordoba, declared a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 1984.

History

In the sixteenth century, the authorities decided to improve the condition of the entrance to the city due to the deteriorated state of the existing gate. With this goal in mind, on February 18, 1572, mayor Alonso Gonzalez de Arteaga issued the order to build the Bridge Gate. Reasons given focused on the fact that it was one of the city's main gates, handling a high volume of movement in terms of both people and supplies. In addition to enlarging the gateway, the city's officials wished to improve the artistic merits of the gate as part of an urban renewal. Bridge Gate construction was started by Francisco de Montalbán although few months later, in 1571, Hernán Ruiz III which took over the works. Complications arose with respect to the design of the door, leading to a spike in the expected cost: the initial budget of 1400 ducats tripled to 3100. Work apparently stopped for a four year period until 1576, when Hernán Ruiz resumed his work. Possibly due to the indebtedness of the City Council of Cordoba and general lack of funds, the project remained was unfinished. In 1912, under the reign of Alfonso XIII, the area in which the Puerta del Puente was located was stripped of its walls and rebuilt in 1928 as a memorial gate, repeating on the inner side forms the outer side. In the late fifties the level of all the land bordering the door, until the original ground level was restored, when neighbouring buildings were lowered. In the early twenty-first century, the first restoration of the Puerta del Puente took place, at which point archaeological excavations took place. Further restorative work continued in 2005.

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External links

Córdoba in 3D
{{coord, 37.8778, -4.7791, type:landmark_region:ES, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1572 Buildings and structures in Córdoba, Spain Historic centre of Córdoba, Spain Puente Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Córdoba (Spain) 1572 establishments in Spain