A single slab of weathered steel resting on one tapering pier, the Puente de Miraflores is a modern footbridge across the Guadalquivir in Cordoba, set close to the ancient Roman bridge and the Mezquita. It was the fourth bridge built over the river in the city. It connects the historic centre with the Miraflores park on the opposite bank, and was conceived as a deliberately spare, sculptural object: a long prismatic beam of Corten steel laid across the river, carried on a boat-shaped pier set parallel to the current. The design grew out of a competition held in 1987. A bold proposal by the engineer Santiago Calatrava won that contest but was rejected by the city as too jarring beside the monumental surroundings, and his bridge was eventually built in Merida instead. The commission passed to the architects Rafael Casado, Antonio Herrero and Juan Suarez, whose quieter design used materials meant to blend with the setting. The great depth of the beam allowed the crossing to rest on a single support, leaving the park to pass beneath it. After years of delay, the bridge was finally inaugurated on 2 May 2003, with a show of lights and fireworks. Its opening also marked the start of the restoration and pedestrianisation of the neighbouring Roman bridge. The crossing has not been without controversy. The river authority required it to be raised, which blocks part of the view of the Roman bridge, and critics noted its high cost, the cracks that needed early repair and the relatively light use it receives. Its supporters, including the architects themselves, defend it as an exercise in restraint, a simple line drawn across the river that aims not to compete with the cathedral and the ancient bridge but to frame the historic skyline. Around 188 metres long, the footbridge offers a low, open walk across the Guadalquivir and a fresh perspective on the old city, and has won recognition in architectural awards despite the debate around it.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Córdoba, Spain

Opening Date: 02/05/2003