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

Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.

Bee Estes (2 years ago)
Beautiful bridge in a beautiful town. Spend an afternoon walking around.

Anibal Sousa (2 years ago)
Very pretty place to visit, the city seemed a fun one too.

YK Kim (2 years ago)
Lovely place! Easy to stroll in the park.

Mike Ely (2 years ago)
What an awesome 800 year old Bridge. You feel like you're walking in the history!

Tedi Chiavalon (3 years ago)
Beautiful bridge on the Camino Frances

Puente la Reina Bridge

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Broch of Gurness