Puente de los Franceses (Madrid) Puente de los Franceses (Madrid) The Puente de los Franceses (Bridge of the Frenchmen) railway viaduct is located in Madrid, Spain. Comprising five semi-circular brick skew arches, it was built in the second half of the 19th century to carry the railway line from the north (Madrid - Venta de Baños - Irun) across the River Manzanares. The bridge is named after the nationality of the engineers who devised the project, who were of French origin. The bridge is also known as the French Bridge. The bridge was built between 1860 and 1862, along with other construction work on the
Centro (Madrid) Centro (Madrid) Centro is the central district of the city of Madrid, Spain. It is approximately 5.23 km² (2.02 sq mi) in size. It has a population of 149,718 people and a population density of 28,587/km² (74,040/sq mi). The Centro district of Madrid is the oldest section of the city. Evidence of a stable settlement dates back to Spain's Muslim period. In the second half of the 9th century, the emir of Córdoba, Muhammad I (852–886), built a fortress on a promontory beside the river, the modern-day location of the Royal Palace. Its purpose was to watch the passes of