Thursday, January 3, 2013

Águas Livres Aqueduct


Alcântara Valley, Lisbon
 
Construction started in 1731 and, although the project was still unfinished, the aqueduct finally brought water to the city in 1748. The main course of the aqueduct covers 18 km, but the whole network of canals extends through nearly 58 km. A total of 35 arches cross the valley, covering 941 m (the tallest arches reach a height of 65 m.).
The aqueduct survived the 1755 Great Earthquake with no damage and it worked until 1967.

23 comments:

Fernando Santos (Chana) said...

Excelente Postal de Lisboa....
Feliz Ano Novo com muita luz de Esperança por um mundo melhor....
Cumprimentos

Olivier said...

une vue panoramique impressionnante
, superbe photo

Dina said...

That's so cool to build an aqueduct in modern times. Very impressive.

Halcyon said...

There is so much to see in your city! What a great overview. :)

Lowell said...

A dramatic photo, JM! And a new view (for me) of this beautiful city. The aqueduct is also something we don't see in this country and I'm amazed at how long it was and how it was constructed so long ago.

Is it possible this was originally a photo from film?

Sylvia K said...

Awesome aqueduct and amazing history, JM! Terrific capture as always! Have a great weekend!!

Cezar and Léia said...

wow impressionante, é imenso!
Lindissima foto!
Léia

TexWisGirl said...

really neat.

Sharon said...

I didn't know about this aqueduct. That is quite a history and this is a fantastic photo.

VP said...

Massive and elegant at the same time...

Unknown said...

@Lowell: This shot, as all on this blog, was taken with a cybershot camera.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

You've taken this shot from exactly the right spot to show how totally impressive it is JM. When you hear about the ideas formulated and carried out hundreds of years ago, that's when you realize that in every age there are men with minds well beyond their time!
p.s. I love summer to JM but you have to agree 40C is a tad extreme oui!

LONDONLULU said...

So heartening to see such a magnificent structure surviving the 1755 Earthquake! I never saw Lisbon from this angle, beautiful:)

Karl said...

Wonderful view, JM!

Shaun said...

Wow, thats a pretty amazing photo JM. A mix of old and new, and a lovely lead in with that viaduct. quite the talented guy arent you. !!!

Kay said...

I love that this shot contrasts the aquaduct with the modern city in the distance. It's quite a testament that it survived the 1755 earthquake intact and was used until relatively recently. That's an impressive lifespan for a piece of engineering!

LOLfromPasa said...

Nice piece of history to accompany such a beautiful shot. Impressed!

EG CameraGirl said...

How nice that it is still in such good condition.

Randy said...

I can't believe how big it is.

Jack said...

It is an impressive structure. The 1960s? It is hard to imagine a structure like that working into the '60s.

Sami said...

Foto fabulosa. Náo tinha ideia que o aquaduto fosse táo comprido e alto.
Deve ter subido a um "monte" para ter esta panorâmica da cidade.

Stefan Jansson said...

Impressive construction. And a fine view over the city.

Babzy.B said...

beautiful construction !