Pont de l'Assut de l'Or: The Harplike White Pylon Bridge
Why is it significant?
Look up in astonishment at the dizzying, elegant white needle of the Pont de l'Assut de l'Or as its curved steel mast pierces the azure sky at an impressive height of one hundred and twenty-five meters.
Key Facts
| Place | Pont de l'Assut de l'Or: The Harplike White Pylon Bridge |
|---|---|
| Address | Carrer de Menorca, s/n, 46023 València, Spain |
| Geo Coordinates | 39.45300, -0.34800 |
| Part of Walk | Valencia City of Arts and Sciences: Santiago Calatrava's Futuristic Vision |
| Generated | Generated |
Look up in astonishment at the dizzying, elegant white needle of the Pont de l'Assut de l'Or as its curved steel mast pierces the azure sky at an impressive height of one hundred and twenty-five meters. Inaugurated in December 2008, this spectacular cable-stayed bridge represents the highest architectural landmark in the entire city of Valencia. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, its single, curved pylon leans backwards at an angle of twenty-one degrees, anchored to the bedrock by twenty-nine heavy steel backstay cables that resemble the strings of a giant celestial harp.
Local Valencians affectionately christened the structure El Jamonero due to its playful resemblance to a traditional wooden Spanish ham-carving stand. Beyond its breathtaking sculptural magnificence, this landmark viaduct represents an exceptional triumph of contemporary Spanish civil engineering: its three-hundred-and-thirty-meter road deck spans the entire riverbed without a single central pillar, accommodating six lanes of busy vehicular traffic, two dedicated high-speed tramway tracks, and an elevated, panoramic pedestrian boardwalk and cycle path.
The bridge is named after the historic Assut de l'Or, an ancient stone diversion weir constructed nearby on the river in the fourteenth century to channel irrigation water into the agricultural canals of the maritime huerta. The juxtaposition of this six-hundred-year-old irrigation heritage with Calatrava's hyper-modern structural poetry perfectly embodies Valencia's harmonious blend of ancient roots and bold futurism.
Listen attentively to the rigging whenever a stiff easterly Mediterranean sea breeze sweeps across the valley: the aerodynamic vibrations in the twenty-nine steel tension cables generate an eerie, resonant hum that sounds remarkably like the bow of an invisible giant stroking the strings of a subterranean cello.
Descend the stone steps down into the central plaza toward the dramatic, cobalt-blue pointed shell of L'Àgora nestled dramatically beneath the soaring harp cables of the bridge.