Puente Romano de Salamanca (Salamanca Roman Bridge), Salamanca

The Roman bridge of Salamanca is also known as the main bridge. It crosses the River Tormes, giving access to the southern part of the city. Of the 26 arches of the bridge, fifteen date from Roman times. It is in two parts, the old pedestrian Roman bridge, and the new Hispanic bridge, separated by a central headframe.

The date of construction of the Roman bridge is thought to fall within the reigns of Augustus and Vespasian, somewhere between 27 BC and 79 AD. An early popular myth claims the bridge was built by Hercules and later rebuilt by Emperor Trajan. It was built to connect Salamanca to the Silver Route (Via de la Plata), the old route to the south.

At the entrance to the bridge is the figure of a stone boar. Large stone boars or bulls were utilized to delimit land used for grazing or had some religious function. The mysterious boars are found throughout Spain.

The Tormes, like the Tagus, is considered among the most dangerous rivers in Spain for its chronic flooding. Major repairs were carried out in 1627 and 1767, leaving the bridge with eleven modern and fifteen Roman arches. In 1891 it was decided to build a new parallel bridge upstream.