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
Siege of Madrid renowned poet Rafael Alberti, "Madrid, corazón de España", which begins thus: Siege of Madrid The Siege of Madrid was a two and a half year siege of the Spanish capital city of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. The city, besieged from October 1936, eventually fell to the Francoist armies on 28 March 1939. Madrid was held by various forces loyal to the Spanish Republic and was besieged and subject to aerial bombardment by the rebel faction under General Francisco Franco. The Battle of Madrid in November 1936 saw the most intense fighting in and around