Puente del Batán, Colmenar Viejo, Medieval granite bridge in Colmenar Viejo, Spain.
Puente del Batán is a medieval granite bridge that crosses the Manzanares River with a single arch and spans about 10.5 meters. The passage is narrow at roughly 4 meters wide, built entirely from stone blocks fitted closely together.
The structure dates from the Middle Ages but underwent major reconstruction in late 1681 after severe river flooding in 1680 damaged it badly. That flood disaster forced builders to repair and reinforce the bridge to restore its function.
The bridge sits along a branch of the Cañada Real Segoviana, an old livestock route where herders once moved animals across the landscape. Walkers who use this path today experience the same crossing point that shepherds relied on for centuries.
The bridge sits near kilometer 39 of road M-607 between Colmenar Viejo and Cerceda and can be reached via marked detours. Walking to the river works best in drier months when water levels drop and the terrain is easier to navigate.
The structure takes its name from a former fulling mill that operated upstream in the 17th century to process cloth. That mill has long since vanished, but its name lives on in the bridge.
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