Acueducto de los Pilares (Aqueduct of the Pillars), Oviedo

The Acueducto de los Pilares, translated as Aqueduct of the Pillars, is a historical remnant of a grand 16th-century water system built between 1570 and 1599. Originally featuring 42 stone arches-or “pillars”-it stretched some 390 meters across the city, with arches reaching up to 10 meters in height, supplying water from the springs of Fitoria and Boo on Monte Naranco.

Designed under the direction of architect Juan de Cerecedo and later completed by Gonzalo de la Bárcena, the aqueduct was financed through taxes on cider and wine. It served as Oviedo’s principal water conduit until 1875, when it was replaced by a modern pressurized supply system.

Most of the original structure was demolished in 1915 to make way for the city’s expansion and the development of new railway lines. Today, only five of the original arches remained-preserved and restored in 2006 as a cultural monument, now recognized as a Asset of Cultural Interest since 1915.