Description of the attraction
The Jones Bridge, formerly known as the Puente de España, crosses the Pasig River and connects Manila's Binondo and Santa Cruz districts with the city's business center. Today, this bridge is considered the oldest in the Philippines.
Initially, the bridge, consisting of 7 arched spans, was called Puerto Grande - it was built in 1632 by the Spanish colonialists, and became the first bridge across the Pasig River. It was built of wood and connected the Binondo area with the ancient Intramuros area of Manila, allowing residents to move faster and easier from one part of the city to another.
During its long history, the bridge has been destroyed more than once as a result of earthquakes and other natural disasters. In 1863, after another strong earthquake, the bridge began to be restored again - this time it was decided to expand its spans with brickwork, and the two central spans were made of iron. In the same year, the bridge was renamed Puente de Espana. After the reconstruction, paths for pedestrians and for various types of transport appeared on the bridge - for horse-drawn carriages, for carts drawn by Asian buffaloes, and for trams.
In 1916, the bridge was again modernized, this time under the leadership of the American government, and renamed - it was named after Republican William Atkinson Jones, author of the 1916 Philippine Declaration of Independence. The last restoration work on Jones Bridge took place in the 1930s, when features of the neoclassical style were used in its design.
Despite the fact that the Jones Bridge was once called the "King of the Manila bridges", in the 1980s it fell into oblivion, which is why it fell into a deplorable state. However, the occasional small restoration work still allows its elegant neoclassical architecture to be preserved.
