Iron Bridge of the Guadalquivir

More than an engineering structure, the Iron Bridge is the great host of Villafranca. It is the first thing that greets the visitor and the image that locals keep in their retina when they think of their home.

Its history is that of the industrial progress of the early 20th century. Built to support the weight of the merchandise necessary to build the Guadalmellato Reservoir, this metal colossus came to retire the old and romantic barges that, for centuries, had crossed the Guadalquivir from shore to shore. It was the vital artery that connected people and products with modernity.

Today, freed from the heavy burden of road traffic, the bridge has experienced a second youth as a pedestrian promenade. It is a place for calm, to feel the river breeze and enjoy the views. But its charm lies in its chromatic duality: during the day, its imposing red structure stands out strongly against the green and blue landscape of the river; at nightfall, it transforms under a blue illumination that outlines its silhouette in the dark, making it the undisputed protagonist of local night photography.

To walk on its planks is to walk on the living history of the municipality, a link between the laborious past and the tourist present of Villafranca.