PUENTES IBÉRICOS. EMISIÓN CONJUNTA ESPAÑA-PORTUGAL

After having made joint issues with Belgium, Germany, Sweden, China and Irán, this year, the joint issue series has Portugal as a partner, and the theme chosen is “Iberian Bridges”, featuring the Puente Internacional de Ayamonte (Huelva) over the Guadiana river and the Puente de Alcántara over the Tajo river in Cáceres.

The Puente Internacional de Ayamonte, is an avant guard and modern style construction inaugurated in 1991. When it was built, all physical barriers were withdrawn and the natural obstacle which was the Guadiana river, a drawback to the social and economic growth of the region ceased to be such since the bridge has enabled the two regions, that is the Algarve in Portugal and Andalucia in Spain to become closer. This bridge, besides bringing down the barriers that prevented human relationships and communication of both shores, has enabled a better knowledge of our neighbours, the increase of tourism between the two countries, an alternative to transport through the river and the end to the crowds of passengers trying to cross the border. The Guadiana river served the Romans as a natural and administrative border between Betica and Lusitania; and for the Arabs, during the Cordoba Emirate, between the VII and X century between Al-Garb and AL-Andalus. In the XI century, with the kingdoms of Onuba and the Algarbe, the Guadiana was again a natural border. Later, with the Almoravids and the Almohads, in the XI and XII centuries, it served as an administrative division between Sevilla and the Algarve. In the XVIII century, when the Vila Real de San Antonio merged, its people as those of Ayamonte strengthened their human and commercial bonds which had always been determined by the river. Nowadays, with this international bridge, these obstacles no longer exist. The other bridge, that of Alcantara, was built between the years 105 and 106 by architect Cayo Lulio Lacer and its the most important Roman river in the world. It has six arches looking over the Tajo river and is 214 metres long and 48 metres high. It bears in the centre an arc of triumph with two marble plaques where features the name of the emperor Trajan to whom it was devoted, and the year it was built. The bridge was built to link Norba (Caceres) with Conimbriga (Condeixa-a-Velha). Higher up the Tajo river, there is the Jose Maria Oriol reservoir and hydroelectric station, one of the most important in Europe in hydroelectric production and in water capacity.