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While walking in the La Latina neighborhood of Madrid, a glance at my map offered up an icon illustrating a point of interest.
Viaducto de Segovia.
Since I was headed in that general direction, I thought I would check it out.
I won’t lie. I saw the word viaduct and the picture in my head was of something I would see in Rome. Old…brick…arches. And don’t forget the boatloads of tourists milling about taking pictures.
What I found instead was more of a modern structure…a bridge spanning Segovia Street, 25 meters below, thus giving it its name.
Segovia Street lies in the basin formed by the old San Pedro Creek which was one of the most important routes of entry from Segovia into Madrid many centuries ago. At the time, Bailén Street ended at the edge of the ravine and pedestrians were forced to make the steep descent and ascent from Segovia Street to reach the area of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
When the Royal Court was established in 1561, King Philip began to promote the expansion of the city. He visualized extending Bailén Street across the ravine to allow easy travel to other parts of the city and country.
Although the architect of the Royal Palace, Juan Bautista Sacchetti, conceived a plan to build a span, lack of funding put the proposal on the back-burner until 1874, when a structure made of wood and iron was completed. This structure remained until 1932 when architects Ferrero, Aracil and Aldaz created plans for a concrete structure. Taking only two years to complete, this bridge sustained damage during the Spanish Civil War in the Seige of Madrid, but was repaired in 1942.
Though a plan was put into place in the later part of the 1970’s, to demolish the bridge, a decision was finally made to restore it instead. Today’s construction is a result of that restoration, which allowed for the increase of its height and span and more importantly, the increasing traffic loads and capacity.
Today, the Viaducto de Segovia is not a main tourist attraction, but one that tourists merely “happen” upon due to its proximity to the Cathedral de la Almudena and the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is quite famous, not only for having been featured in many literary works and Spanish cinema, but for a reason most do not like to talk about. Until 1998, it was the site of countless suicides, thus being dubbed “the suicide bridge”. Recognizing the ease of access pedestrians had over the low edges, authorities finally erected transparent screens to prevent further attempts.
If you find yourself in the area, take a walk across the bridge on the pedestrian lanes for a beautiful view of the Casa de Campo and the lake. When heading south, take the stairs on the left hand side to venture down to Segovia Street for a more intimate view of the bridge’s structure.
It truly is an architectural marvel and a piece of Madrid’s developmental history.
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Viaducto de Segovia
- Address: Calle de Bailén, 12, 28005 Madrid, Spain
- Hours: 24 hours, daily
- Admission: free