Historic aqueduct of Segovia

Segovia is a historic city so it has several old historic buildings – but none of the historic buildings manage to overshadow the famous aqueduct. The aqueduct is featured on the coat of arms of the city and is one of the best preserved roman aqueducts anywhere in the former Roman Empire.

There isn’t a lot of certain historical evidence about the history of the aqueduct – but it is considered to have been built in the latter half of the first century AD or in the beginning of the second century. The historians suppose the building was completed in either 98, 112 or 117 so the construction took place during the height of the Roman Empire where peace were safe in this corner of the empire – so money could be spend on major public constructions like this aqueduct.

The aqueduct originally transported water from the Rio Frio which was located 17 kilometers away from the city center. The aqueduct was partly destroyed in 1072 by the Moors but it has later been rebuilt first in the 15^th century and on later occasions. The aqueduct actually provided water to the city of Segovia until the middle of the 19^th century.

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Today you can’t arrive to the old town of Segovia without spotting this large aqueduct as the first thing you see. It is located on the entrance to the city and if you are coming by car you will most likely take the road leading straight down to the aqueduct searching for a spot to park. This is just what happened to us when we drove the short distance from our hotel to the old town. There are many old buildings to look at in Segovia – but nothing is more interesting than this aqueduct.