Two stone arches
German-built.
Sofia Prado — CC BY-SA 3.0 · GLandovsky — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GLandovsky — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jarbas yurasseck, jr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ricardo Beckert Trevisan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GLandovsky — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GLandovsky — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Papagaios Bridge, also called the Dom Pedro Bridge, is a historic stone bridge over the Papagaios river, on the boundary of Palmeira and Balsa Nova at kilometre 50 of the BR-277 highway in Paraná. The state listed it as heritage on 3 September 1973. It was built in 1876–1877 with the authorisation of Emperor Pedro II and officially opened with the imperial entourage present in 1880. It was designed by the army engineer Francisco Antônio Monteiro Tourinho, was the first of its kind in the province, and was demanded by the people of Palmeira to shorten journeys on the old Mato Grosso road, then the only link between Curitiba and the Campos Gerais plateau. German immigrants built it with two central arches, using local stone that had to be cut by hand without explosives into sharp-edged, smooth-faced blocks. When the modern highway was built a new bridge went up beside it, and the old one became a travellers' rest stop to visit and photograph.
German-built.
By the highway.
Below.
Km 50 of the BR-277, between Palmeira and Balsa Nova, Paraná
German immigrants in 1876–1877, with stone cut by hand without explosives.