Footbridge of Holzarte, Suspension bridge in Larrau, France.
The Holzarte footbridge is a narrow suspension bridge in the Holtzarte gorge in Larrau, in the Basque province of Soule. It hangs 140 metres above the Olhado stream, with a slatted walkway edged by wire mesh railings, cables running down from a tall grey concrete anchor pillar, and a rocky, wooded gorge below.
The bridge was built in 1920 by Italian workers from Lombardi Marcello's steelworks in Atharratze (Tardets). It was put up so that timber could be extracted from the Holtzarte forest, crossing the Olhado gorge at a height of 140 metres. It stands at an altitude of 580 metres in the Holzarte gorge, in the commune of Larrau in Zuberoa.
The bridge is named after Holtzarte, the forest whose timber it was built to extract. Italian workers from Lombardi Marcello's steelworks in Atharratze erected it in 1920, and the structure still carries the name of the ravine it crosses in Basque: Holtzarteko zubia, the bridge of Holtzarte.
Reaching the bridge requires a 1.5-hour hike from the Larrau parking area with an elevation gain of 183 meters, and visitors should wear proper hiking boots as the trail can become slippery, especially during wet conditions or early morning hours.
The bridge hangs 140 metres above the Olhado stream, not at the 580-metre altitude of the site itself. It was built in 1920 by Italian workers of Lombardi Marcello's steelworks in Atharratze (Tardets) so that timber could be brought out of the Holtzarte forest.
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