The Broken Bridge is a Gothic bridge built between the 14th and 15th centuries, which for generations allowed communication between the two banks of the Tordera river, linking the municipalities of Sant Celoni and Santa Maria de Palautordera.
If you take the Tourdera section between the municipalities of Santa Maria de Palautordera and Sant Celoni, you will find that you have to cross the Tordera river over a very special and spectacular bridge. This is the Broken Bridge, a construction that had allowed passage over the Tordera for many years and which, in 1811, was partially destroyed during the Peninsular War in order to slow the advance of Napoleon’s troops.
The bridge remained unused for almost two centuries, until in 2003 a restoration was carried out using a steel metal structure, once again allowing passage over the Tordera river. This reconstruction was made possible thanks to the drive of the Associació Pont Romà 2000, with the support of the town councils of Sant Celoni and Santa Maria de Palautordera and funding from the European Union, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Vallès Oriental County Council.
The restoration was carried out by engineer Xavier Font, and the work has been recognised with several national and international awards. These include the Footbridge Award 2005 for its innovative structure; the Europa Nostra Award 2006 in the architectural heritage category; and the 9th Puente de Alcántara International Award for the restoration of historic infrastructure.
As we have mentioned, the Broken Bridge is located along the route of the Tordera, so if you decide to walk one of its sections, you will pass over it. And if not, if you go to Sant Celoni or Santa Maria de Palautordera, don’t forget to visit it — it is well worth it!
You can take a look at the reel we have published on the Tourdera Instagram account:
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