Madrid - Toledo Bridge Puente de Toledo

The Puente de Toledo is one of the finest monuments from the reign of the first Bourbon king, Philip V. The bridge, which was built by the architect Pedro de Ribera between 1718 and 1732, replaced the old dilapidated Puente Toledano. The bridge spans the Manzanare with nine arches and has alternative dual-carriageway roads crossing the river alongside it in either direction.

The buttresses supporting the main piers of the bridge are topped by semi-circular "balconies". Halfway along the parapet are two small chapels, one on either side, which enclose statues of the city's twin saints, San Isidro and his wife, María de la Cabeza (1735; Juan Antonio Ron). The bridge offers a view across to the north to the Estadio Vicente Calderón and the Puerta de Toledo, further in to the city center.