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The city of the Port is situated in the right edge of the River Douro, being the second city of the country. The Port is the regional capital of the zone north. In the point where if it crossed the river, a town assigned existed for Is silent (century V). Later it is related by Portus Cale and Portucale, origin of the name of the Country. When Vímara Peres repovoa this area in century IX, Portucale also assigns to the territory of it dependent and in century X all the region the south of the river Rasp.
Bridge D Luiz I was born In 11 of August of 1880, competition for the new bridge was opened, after the government not to have has accepted one projecto of firm G. Eiffel et Cie. that only contemplated a tray to the level of the ribeira, with raisable sector in the central part. One projecto that it deserved a Great Prémio in the Universal Exposition of Paris of 1878, but did not serve for an efficient linking enters the urban nuclei of Porto and Gaia. Therefore that competition imposed as necessary premise á conception of a bridge of two trays. Numerous competitors had presented themselves: Société de Braine Leconte, Société DES Batignolles (two solutions), G. Eiffel et Cie., Auguste LeCoq. Andrew Handyside, Société de Willebroek (two solutions) and John Wixon. The chosen solution was one of the proposals for the S. Willebroek, with projecto of the Eng. Teophile Seyrig, disciple of Gustave Eiffel, and its partner and colleague in the construction Da Ponte D. Pious Maria. The arc of the new Bridge has 172m of rope and 44,6m of arrow. The meeting of the arc, in would sing, give to support to them pillars that support the superior tray, carried through in form of beams rectas, with 391,25m of extension. Of the arc they go down you hang them that they support the inferior tray of 174m of length. The structure of the new bridge, true filigrana of iron that started to be, together with the Tower of the Clergymen, the formerones par excellence of the Port, weighed in its set 3,045 tons. The bridge was illuminated by means of artistic gas oil lamps, 24 in the superior tray, 8 in the inferior, and 8 in the meeting.