The Puente de María Cristina (María Cristina Bridge, Maria Kristina Zubia in Basque language) is a beautiful bridge in San Sebastián, the capital city of Gipuzkoa Province, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country in Spain. See the magnificent structure crossing over the Río Urumea and admire its enormous pillars at the beginning and end of the bridge.
This famous bridge is used daily by all inhabitants of the city to cross the river. The Río Urumea starts in the Spanish community of Navarra, flows through this famous city of the Basque Country and then empties into the Cantabrian Sea, between Monte Urgull (Urgull Mountain) and the Playa de la Zurriola, one of the beaches of San Sebastián.
Before the María Cristina Bridge was built, a very simple wooden walkway crossed the river here. It was used by people to go from the center of town to the popular bullfighting arena, the Estación del Norte railway station and the velodrome.
The Puente de María Cristina was designed by the Spanish architect Antonio Palacios Ramilo and was built using reinforced concrete, a novelty at the time. Walk along this structure, inaugurated on January 20, 1905 and named after the Spanish Queen María Cristina de Habsburgo-Lorena.
The bridge has three big arches about 66 feet (20 meters) wide and 289 feet (88 meters) long. Admire the magnificent monuments at the beginning and end of the Puente de María Cristina. They are four 59-foot-tall (18-meter) obelisks, the construction of which was inspired by the bridge Pont Alexandre III that crosses the Seine River in Paris, France. See the elegant equestrian statues at the top of the pillars, made by the Spanish sculptor Ángel García Díaz.
Enjoy the exceptional views as you cross the Puente de María Cristina. You’ll see well-known structures, such as the Estación del Norte and the Tabakalera, a cultural center that was once a tobacco factory.
