The Roman bridge of Lugo crosses the

Minho river The Minho ( ; ) or Miño ( ; ; ; ) is the longest river in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain, with a length of . It forms a part of the international border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest r ...

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

, Galicia. The bridge is of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

origin and has been rebuilt many times in its history. The bridge was open to traffic until 2012. It was then closed to all vehicles and converted to a pedestrian-only footbridge. The roadway and modern superstructure was replaced with contemporary stonework to complement the bridge's original features.

Features

The structure is made primarily of

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

, with added metallic walkways. The surface was paved, allowing for continuous vehicle passage, with the exception of heavy vehicles, which were not permitted to cross. It was a frequently used

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

, given its proximity to the Lugo Fluvial Club, among other recreational facilities, and to the Lucense Polyclinic. It was also the most logical route to the Portomarín road or the Lugo

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

Club. Following the construction of the new bridge over the Miño, traffic was diverted to a newly created route for that purpose. Currently, this bridge is one of the two pedestrian bridges the city has to offer.

History

The bridge was designed and built during the Romanization of Galicia. It utilized route number XIX of the Antonine Itinerary, connecting ''Lucus Augusti'' with ''Bracara Augusta'' (present-day

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

) and passing through Iria Flavia (the current town of Padrón). The reason for its construction was the need to cross the Miño River. Centuries later, during the Late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the bridge underwent significant restorations. This was partly due to its deteriorating condition and also to meet the new transportation needs of the era. With the onset of the

Modern Age The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

, further repairs were once again necessary. Ultimately, in 1893, its appearance was definitively altered by the removal of several elements. However, the foundations of the current bridge, often referred to as the "old" or "Roman" bridge, largely remain original. Due to the construction of a new bridge in 2009, the Roman bridge of Lugo was restored and designated for pedestrian use. During the restoration process, the metallic walkways were removed and the asphalt surface was taken out, with efforts made to make it resemble as closely as possible its appearance during Roman times.

Route from the city of Lugo to the Roman bridge

The Calzada del Puente, which descends from the Puerta Miñá or Puerta del Carmen (one of the ten gates of the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

, and also one of the five original ones that is best preserved) to the Roman bridge, is part of the Primitive Pilgrimage Route to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

. This is also where the hiking route "Las ribeiras altas, Miño arriba" begins, popularly known as the "Paseo del Puente Viejo." This route stretches over eleven kilometers along both banks of the river, heading towards the old light factory.
''Rutas Turísticas: Las ribeiras altas, Miño arriba''

Gallery

Puente romano de Lugo.jpg, Bridge when it was still open to traffic File:Lugo, Galicia 45.jpg, The pedestrianised bridge in

References

External links