Alberto de Palacio y Elissague (1856–1939) was a Spanish engineer and architect born in Sare (

Northern Basque Country The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided o ...

) and grown up in

Gordexola Gordexola is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, northern Spain. References External links Gordexola in the Be ...

.''Alberto de Palacio y Elissague''
, March 27, 2010 (Spanish) He studied architecture in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and completed his education in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, studying

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

.Madrid Histórico''Palaccio Elissague, Alberto del''
retrieved April 22, 2012 (Spanish) He was also a student & disciple of

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( , ; Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway net ...

Works

Between 1890 and 1893, he worked, together with his brother Silvestre de Palacio (engineer), on his most important project, the

transporter bridge A transporter bridge, also known as a ferry bridge or aerial transfer bridge, is a type of movable bridge that carries a segment of roadway across a river. The gondola is slung from a tall span by wires or a metal frame. The design has been us ...

(''" Puente Colgante"'') on the Nervion river, between

Portugalete Portugalete is a town lying to the west of Bilbao in the province of Biscay in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain. The town has 45,294 inhabitants as of 2021 and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. It is located ...

and

Getxo Getxo () (Spanish: ''Guecho'') is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in Spain. It is part of Greater Bilbao, and has 75,430 inhabitants (2023). Getxo ...

(

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

), for which he gained international recognition. It was the first bridge of this kind ever built. All his work is characterized for the search of the functionality and the innovation, where

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

and

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

play a noticeable role. He passed long seasons of work in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

where he: * Participated in the construction of the

Palacio de Velázquez Palacio (''palace'') is a Spanish habitational name. It may have originated from many places in Spain, especially in Galicia and Asturias. Notable people with the surname include: *Agustina Palacio de Libarona (1825–1880), Argentine writer, st ...

in the

Retiro Park The Retiro Park (Spanish: , literally "Good Retreat Park"), also known as Buen Retiro Park or simply El Retiro, is one of the largest city parks in Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868, when it became a public par ...

, together with architect

Ricardo Velázquez Bosco Ricardo Velázquez Bosco (1843–1923) was a Spanish architect, archaeologist and scholar. Velázquez's most notable architecture was erected in Madrid, buildings such as the Palacio de Cristal and the Palacio de Velázquez (both in the Parq ...

, coordinator of the project, and the ceramicist

Daniel Zuloaga Daniel Zuloaga y Boneta (1852 – December 27, 1921) was a Spanish people, Spanish ceramic art, ceramist and painter. He is considered to be one of the innovators of art pottery in Spain. He worked primarily from his workshops in Madrid and Segov ...

(1881 and 1883). * Participated in the construction of the ''Crystal Palace'' (inspired by the London one) in the same park, again with architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, coordinator of the project, and ceramicist Daniel Zuloaga (1887). * Designed and built the new ''

Madrid Atocha railway station Madrid Atocha (), also named Madrid Puerta de Atocha–Almudena Grandes, is the oldest major railway station in Madrid. It is the largest station serving commuter trains (Cercanías Madrid, ''Cercanías''), regional trains from the south and sou ...

'', in collaboration with the engineer Saint-James (1889–1892). * Built the '' Osram factory'' (1914–1916). Image:Palacio de Cristal - Parque del Buen Retiro.jpg, The Crystal Palace at Retiro. Image:Palacio de Velazquez (Madrid) 01.jpg, Palace of Velázquez at Retiro. Image:Atocha1613.JPG, Atocha Station.

References

External links

Puente Colgante

Madrid works
1856 births 1939 deaths Structural engineers Spanish civil engineers People from Enkarterri People from Labourd French-Basque people 19th-century Spanish architects 20th-century Spanish architects Architects from the Basque Country (autonomous community) Polytechnic University of Catalonia alumni {{Spain-architect-stub