The Malleco Viaduct is a railway bridge located in central Chile, passing over the Malleco River

Malleco River

Malleco River is a river in Malleco Province, Araucanía Region, southern Chile. It rises in the western slopes of the Andes, within the Tolhuaca National Park and near Tolhuaca Volcano. The river is a major tributary to the Bío-Bío River. The Malleco Viaduct built in 1890 is the main landmark of...

 valley at the south entrance of Collipulli

Collipulli

Collipulli is a city and commune forming part of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. Its name means "coloured lands" in the Mapuche language spoken in the area. It has a population of 22,354 and an area of...

 in the Araucania Region

Araucanía Region

The IX Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south....

. It was opened by President José Manuel Balmaceda

José Manuel Balmaceda

José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...

 on October 26, 1890. At that time, it was the highest such bridge in the world. The Panamerican Highway passes right next to the viaduct

Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...

.

A popular myth claims that the bridge was designed by Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures...

. Eiffel made a bridge proposal, but it was rejected by the Chilean authorities. It was designed by Aurelio Lastarria and the manufacture of the bridge was awarded to Schneider et Cie. O Le Creusot, another French company. The bridge was declared a national monument

National Monuments of Chile

The National Monuments of Chile , also abbreviated MN, are the constructions, elements and places that form part of the country's cultural heritage, and they are protected by law...

in 1990.

External links

• Photo of the Malleco Viaduct