El Ponte Vella on the river Miño unites the center of Orense with the populous Bridge neighborhood. Also know as Ponte do Minho o Ourense Bridge, takes the name of Ponte Vella when the new bridge.
It was built in the XNUMXst century, in the time of Emperor Augustus, as evidenced by the padded ashlars that are still preserved at their bases. Is one of the best preserved in Spain and it was declared National hystoric monument. It is one of the symbols by which the city of Ourense is known.
It is 5 meters wide and 370 meters long. Originally it had eleven arches, of which only seven are preserved, highlighting the central pointed arch, with a height of 37 meters. It was the widest arch in the entire Roman Empire and is a sample of the might of its engineering. It had great importance since it constituted the link with Santiago de Compostela.
Su actual structure It is the result of the XNUMXth century intervention to which Bishop Lorenzo submitted it. Although it was in the seventeenth century when Melchor Velasco rebuilt it and gave it the appearance we know. The tower defensive that appears in the shield of the city was demolished at the beginning of century XIX for causing problems in the circulation.
The area was recently rehabilitated and has resulted in a river walk with leisure space and parks next to Sports Pavilion from the city. All the circulation automotive traffic was referred to Millennium Bridge.
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