Ponte das Barcas

Porto with the Ponte das Barcas, 1833

Representation of the bridge collapse on the Alminhas da Ponte

The Ponte das Barcas (Portuguese ship's bridge , literally barks bridge ) was the first permanent bridge of boats across the Douro between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal .

history

Before a permanent bridge was built at this point, for centuries there was traffic between the Ribeira district on the riverbank and the opposite district, corresponding to today's Cais de Gaia , with barges and similar vessels. On special occasions such as B. Campaigns , temporary ship bridges were installed, but soon dismantled. In 1744 a regular ferry connection was established.

In 1806, the permanent ship bridge ( Ponte das Barcas ) designed by the Portuguese engineer and architect Carlos Amarante was inaugurated. It consisted of twenty boats anchored in the river and moored on the banks. Their wooden lane was wide enough that carts could drive over them. It could be opened in two parts to allow shipping on the Douro to pass.

This ship bridge was the scene of the disaster of the Ponte das Barcas : During the Napoleonic Wars , Porto was occupied by French troops under Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult on March 29, 1809 . When a large number of people fled from the city over the ship's bridge to the left bank of the Douro from the soldiers who pursued them with their bayonets fixed and partly mounted, the bridge collapsed under the weight of the crowd. Up to 4,000 people were killed in the floods of the Douro. The disaster is depicted on the Alminhas da Ponte on the Ribeira.

The Ponte das Barcas was replaced in 1842 by the Ponte pênsil , a suspension bridge and the first permanent bridge over the Douro in Porto.

Web links

Commons : Ponte das barcas - collection of images

Individual evidence

↑ Manuel de Azeredo: As Pontes do Porto , at Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
^ William Francis Patrick Napier : History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France from the Year 1807 to the Year 1814 , Vol. 2, Thomas and William Boone, London 1829, p. 206. A smaller number of victims takes Aníbal José Barreira, see his essay O desastre da ponte das barcas in: Luís Valente de Oliveira (ed.): O Porto e as invasões francesas 1809–2009 . Câmara Municipal do Porto, Porto 2009, vol. 3, ISBN 978-989-619-178-8 , pp. 87-107. Barreira bases his estimate on the death records of the municipal parishes, but admits that the entries are probably not complete (p. 101).

[1] Manuel de Azeredo: As Pontes do Porto , at Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto

[2] William Francis Patrick Napier : History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France from the Year 1807 to the Year 1814 , Vol. 2, Thomas and William Boone, London 1829, p. 206. A smaller number of victims takes Aníbal José Barreira, see his essay O desastre da ponte das barcas in: Luís Valente de Oliveira (ed.): O Porto e as invasões francesas 1809–2009 . Câmara Municipal do Porto, Porto 2009, vol. 3, ISBN 978-989-619-178-8 , pp. 87-107. Barreira bases his estimate on the death records of the municipal parishes, but admits that the entries are probably not complete (p. 101).