On 4 November 1877, the D. Maria Bridge in Porto (designed and built by engineers Téophile Seyrig and Gustave Eiffel) was inaugurated, allowing the train to reach the city.
The D. Maria Pia Bridge is a railway infrastructure that served the Northern Line over the River Douro, between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, in the north of Portugal.
It was inaugurated on 4 November 1877 and closed on 24 June 1991, having been replaced by the São João Bridge.
Together with the Garabit Viaduct, it is considered one of the greatest masterpieces by engineer Gustave Eiffel. At the time of its inauguration, it was the bridge with the largest iron arch in the world.
In connection with this anniversary, we remind the exhibition “Entre Margens – Representações da Engenharia na Arte Portuguesa” (Between Margins – Representations of Engineering in Portuguese Art) (pictured) that the Soares dos Reis National Museum hosted in 2013, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Arrábida Bridge and the 100th anniversary of Edgar Cardoso’s birth, bringing together works by some of the most significant Portuguese artists.
In all, the exhibition included 140 paintings and installations by 61 artists, portraying numerous bridges and other emblematic works of Portuguese engineering and architecture, including Eduardo Viana’s oil on canvas “Ponte Maria Pia”, which can be seen at the Soares dos Reis National Museum.
The event was co-organised by the Faculties of Engineering (FEUP) and Fine Arts (FBAUP) of the University of Porto.