Puente Colgante de Bizkaia

The Puente Colgante de Bizkaia is a transporter bridge, a design in which a suspended gondola carries passengers and vehicles across the river rather than a fixed roadway deck. The gondola hangs from cables attached to a tall steel framework and shuttles horizontally between the two banks of the Nervión River.

The Puente Colgante de Bizkaia was constructed between 1890 and 1893, making it the world's oldest operational transporter bridge. It was designed by Spanish architect Alberto Palacio, who had previously worked with Gustave Eiffel, and the ironwork was fabricated by workshops in Bilbao.

Yes, the Puente Colgante de Bizkaia was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006 under the name 'Vizcaya Bridge.' UNESCO recognized it as an exceptional expression of industrial heritage and a groundbreaking achievement in iron engineering, representing one of the few surviving transporter bridges in the world.

Yes, visitors can walk across the upper pedestrian walkway of the Puente Colgante, which sits approximately 50 meters above the Nervión River and connects the towns of Portugalete and Getxo. In addition to the walkway, a suspended gondola at the lower level continues to transport passengers and vehicles across the river, as it has since 1893.