Issue date: 04 May, 2013
The Bridges of Spain series dedicates this issue to the Bridge of Besalú (Girona), one of the most characteristic bridges of the medieval period.
Besalú Bridge is located in the medieval village of the same name in the province of Gerona. It began to be built in the 11th century to save the river Fluviá and establish communications between the town and the land on the other side of the river. It consists of seven pointed arches spread over 145 meters forming an oblique angle at the centre which divides it into two sections. On the side that gives access to the city stands a defensive tower built in the mid 14th century where watch was kept and travellers and merchants passing through were obliged to pay a toll. In the centre of the bridge a second defensive tower was built over a pronounced oblique angle, , substantially higher than the first one and opened at the bottom by a pointed arch.
The Roman bridge is five meters wide and over the centuries it has witnessed floods, flash floods and devastating conflicts having to be reformed in the 14th and 17th centuries. During the Spanish Civil War it was partially blown up and in the 1960s it was completely rebuilt following the original structure and aesthetics. In recent times a parallel concrete bridge has been built for traffic preserving the historic medieval bridge for pedestrians.
Besalú is located in the region of La Garrotxa, and is one of the main tourist towns in the province of Gerona in which art and history blend giving way to an attractive historic centre. The porticoed streets, the bridge, the Jewish baths and Romanesque churches form a top medieval compound. In 1966 it was declared a "national artistic and historical town"
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