Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: puente

At first glance - certainly on a somewhat rainy gray day - the hard gray stone houses of Beddgelert do not look too inviting. But walking around and seeing all the blooming flowers the village became more and more picturesque. Beddgelert (meaning “the grave of Gelert”) is probably named after an early christian missionary and leader called Celert (or Cilert), who settled here early in the 8th century. The earliest record of Beddgelert appears on a document dated 1258 (the name recorded is "Bekelert"); eleven years later it is recorded as "Bedkelerd". Beddgelert lies in a valley at the confluence of the River Glaslyn and River Colwyn. Just above the confluence of the rivers, in the centre of the village, is the old stone bridge with two arches. It is hard to imagine, but the village once was a busy port, when the river was tidal and ships sailed all the way to the centre of Beddgelert.

Making a bike trip in North Holland, I came across the ‘Stolpbrug’ just outside the village of Sint Maartensbrug. At first glance it didn’t look like a bridge and is located somewhere ‘in the middle of nowhere’ over the ‘Grote Sloot’. The structure is quite unique and can only be used by pedestrians and cyclists. After some research I found that the ‘Stolpbrug’ is an artwork designed by Joke Zaal. The ‘bridge’ is a monument to mark the 400 years of existence of the ‘Zijpepolder’. The skeleton of the ‘Stolpbrug’ has the shape of a ‘stolpboerderij’ (haubarg), which is typical for this part of the province. Former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands opened this ‘artwork bridge’ in May 1997. The ‘bridge’ is made of African azobé wood and has a height of thirteen metres. Except a bridge it is also a platform for cultural events and has a lookout with great views over the flat polders.

The ‘Puente Romano’ (Roman bridge) of Córdoba is a bridge in the centre of the city. It was built by the Romans in the early 1st century BC across the Guadalquivir river. The bridge was built under the command of the Roman emperor Augustus, in 918 the Moors extended the bridge to the state in which it appears today: 247 meters long and around 9 meters wide. ‘Puente Romano’ has – after the Islamic reconstruction - 16 arcades, which is one less than the original one. The present structure is a medieval reconstruction; in the year of 2006 the bridge was extensively restored. The ‘Roman Bridge’ connects the Torre de Calahorra with the old city centre with the Mezquita Cathedral/Mosque.

Montoro is a typical Andalusian ‘pueblo blanco’ (white village) which is perched on a bluff above the Rio Guadalquivir with its whitewashed houses. It is a quite historical town, with an Iberian, Greek, Roman and Moslem past. In the Roman era the town was called Epora. It became an important fortified town under the Moors; after changing hands between Moorish and Castilian kingdoms the town was finally conquered by King Fernando III and became its present name Montoro. Montoro offers some fine historical sights (churches and city hall) around or nearby the central square Plaza de España. Another emblematic sight is the bridge over the Guadalquivir, connecting the old town with the neighbourhood of El Retamar. Its construction began in 1498 and took more than fifty years. The women of Montoro donated their jewelry and goods to raise money for the construction. That is why it is known as ‘Puente de las Donadas or Puente de las Donadas (Bridge of Donations or Damsels).

Drawbridge in the village of Zuiderwoude; a small settlement with about 300 inhabitants, which is located less than 10 km’s from Amsterdam. The wooden bridge, over a stream called ‘Zwet’, dates back to the Middle Ages and was restored in 1983.

The ‘Parmabrug’ is a wooden drawbridge for pedestrians and cyclists across the canal between Sluis and Bruges in Belgium. The bridge is located just outside Sluis, 150 metres from the Belgian border. The canal is better known as ‘Damse Vaart’ or ‘Napoleonskanaal’. The canal was dug by Spanish war prisoners between 1812 and 1814 t on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon wanted to create a connection between Bruges and the Western Scheldt and the North Sea along Sluis to Breskens. It should be used for military transports. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 the canal was never finished and stopped nearby the bridge; in 1854 it was extended to the centre of Sluis and two years later the canal opened to traffic. Nowadays the canal is used by pleasure boats.

Marken is one of the most visited tourist sights in the Netherlands. It is a former island in the so called 'Zuiderzee'. Marken is well-known for its characteristic green coloured wooden houses, pictoresque harbour and traditional costumes. The 'Wilhelminabrug' - ca. 1850 - is one of the five wooden drawbridges in Marken and is situated in the 'Kerkbuurt' (Church Area), with the Protestant Church (1904). See for more info about Marken: members.virtualtourist.com/vt/tfr/1/312/4/1ba6f2/

Fall along the Griendtsveencanal with the drawbridge nearby the Ericaweg, one of the four original drawbridges, dating back to 1905. More info about the bridge (Dutch): rijksmonumenten.nl/monument/523254/ophaalbrug+ericaweg/griendtsveen More info about Griendtsveen: members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/240aff

This drawbridge over the river Regge is called 'Giethemer Kerkbrug' and was built in 1907. People of the hamlet Giethmen used the bridge as a short cut, when going to church in Ommen (kerkbrug = church bridge).