New Bridge of Ronda Spain

Description

New Bridge Ronda Spain

Puente Nuevo, Tajo Canyon and Guadalevín River

New Bridge Ronda Spain. Ronda Spain is a small city, steeped in history, built in a grand setting. Ronda was initially settled in the 6th century BC by Celts who were eventually succeeded by the Phoenicians, Visigoths, Romans, Moors and eventually Christians.

Tajo Canyon, Ronda Spain

Ronda is divided into two distinct areas, by the beautiful, 390 foot deep Tajo Canyon which has been carved out by the Guadalevin River. The canyon is spanned by three bridges.  The Oldest  the the bridges is the “Roman Bridge”  and was build in the late 14th century by …… Arabs!  It is believed that the bridge was built upon the foundation of an earlier Roman Bridge, so the Romans get naming rights! The second oldest bridge is the Puente Viejo, built in the 16th century. The newest Bridge is, you guessed it…. the New Bridge, in Spanish, the “Puente Nuevo”. The New Bridge of Ronda Spain which was completed in 1793 after 40 years of construction.

This “New” 230 year old bridge replaced an earlier bridge at the same location which was hurriedly constructed in 8 months and collapsed after only 6 months of existence, killing 50 people in the collapse.

Serrania de Ronda Spain

The New Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe, placing it in the company of other iconic bridges such as the Ponte Vecchio in Florence Italy as well as the Roman Bridge of Cordoba, Spain. Standing atop the Ponte Nuevo offers views of the remarkable Tajo Canyon and sweeping views of the Serranía Ronda which includes idyllic agricultural land as well as the distant Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The New Bridge has a curious history during its 230 years. The small window atop the tall central arcade has served as both a prison as well as a bar during its distinctive past.  In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, a mob threw 500+ fascists sympathizers off of the bridge into Tajo Canyon. This event was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway’s novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls.  

In this new Fine Art photograph of the New Bridge, the famous Parador Hotel of Ronda can be seen on the left side of the image and the old Arab quarter of Ronda can be seen on the right.