Puente la Reina Bridge, Puente la Reina, Spain

From Roman times until the 11th century, Puente la Reina was a humble commercial crossroad, where anything rarely happened. Suddenly when the Camino boomed, hundreds of pilgrims arrived daily. Queen Muniadona, wife of King Sancho III, commissioned the construction of the bridge so pilgrims could cross the Arga river. This impressive bridge is the one that gives name to the village, because Puente la Reina means “The Queen’s Bridge”.

Puente la Reina is considered the best Romanesque bridge in Spain. This majestic bridge served as a defensive silent guardian of the village and had three towers. Unfortunately, only part of one of them is still standing. We can see six of the seven arches that were constructed, the seventh one is hidden under the first house of the village. In springtime, the Arga river brings a lot of the melted snow from the Pyrenees, which is why they had to construct extra holes in the bridge, so the pressure of the water would not destroy it.

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Miscellaneous historic sites in Spain

Trencín Castle

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.

Bee Estes (3 years ago)
Beautiful bridge in a beautiful town. Spend an afternoon walking around.

Anibal Sousa (3 years ago)
Very pretty place to visit, the city seemed a fun one too.

YK Kim (3 years ago)
Lovely place! Easy to stroll in the park.

Mike Ely (3 years ago)
What an awesome 800 year old Bridge. You feel like you're walking in the history!

Tedi Chiavalon (4 years ago)
Beautiful bridge on the Camino Frances

Puente la Reina Bridge

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Trencín Castle