In the Catalan town of Cardona, a bridge planned in the 14th century to replace a flood-prone structure was left unfinished. Although only two of its central arches were built, the incomplete work has become a tourist attraction. It is now known as the Devil's Bridge due to its peculiar silhouette.
The town of Cardona, in Barcelona province with fewer than five thousand inhabitants, holds a curious historical relic: a bridge that was never completed. Planned to replace the Sant Joan bridge, vulnerable to seasonal floods from the Cardener River, construction began in the first half of the 14th century. Originally named Puente Nuevo, it was set to be one of the most notable works of the era due to its scale, according to preserved writings and instances, as explained by the tourism service of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
However, the project halted for unknown reasons. Of the four or five planned arches, only the two central ones were built, measuring 25.50 meters in diameter for the larger and 15.80 meters for the smaller, totaling 59.25 meters. The ends were barely started. The pillars reach a depth of five meters and retain cutwaters on the water side.
This incompleteness led to its renaming as Puente Roto or Devil's Bridge, alluding to its unusual shape. Though it never functioned as a useful infrastructure, it now draws curious visitors who photograph it. Cardona offers other points of interest such as the medieval castle, the Sant Vicenç collegiate church, the Sant Miquel church, and the Cultural Park of the Salt Mountain, enriching the historical experience of the site.