Los Arcos Aqueduct – Teruel, Spain - Atlas Obscura

Los Arcos Aqueduct

This multi-level, aqueduct-footbridge hybrid is one of the greatest works of the Spanish Renaissance.  

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Though it was built between 1537 and 1558, this aqueduct looks very Roman from a distance, with its two layers of semi-circular arches. It’s one of the most significant works of engineering from the Spanish Renaissance.

As you get closer, you can see that the lower story is not just a structural feature that gives the aqueduct increased height—it also serves as a pedestrian overpass. People could walk along the lower level while water streamed along the channel on top.

The structure is still in use as a footbridge between the medieval and modern parts of Teruel, Spain. But people are now the only things to flow across it, as the water, which originated from a spring about four miles away, no longer flows. 

The aqueduct’s design was the work of a Frenchman Quinto Pierres Bedel, and as such, it is sometimes called the French Aqueduct.

Know Before You Go

Parking on the street is impossible on market days (including  Thursday) but if you spend €5 in the nearby  supermarket you can park for 2 hours for free in their underground parking lot.

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July 5, 2019

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