Puente de la Mujer and Puerto Madero

About this place

The Puente de la Mujer, the Woman's Bridge, is a footbridge over Dock 3 in Puerto Madero by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, one of his few works in Latin America. It is 170 metres long; its 102.5-metre central section hangs from a mast about 34 metres high tilted at 39 degrees, and swings 90 degrees in under two minutes to let boats through. Calatrava says it shows a couple dancing the tango, and it is called the Woman's Bridge because the district's streets bear women's names. Puerto Madero around it is an old port built between 1887 and 1897 and abandoned within a few years because ships outgrew it; it stood as derelict warehouses until its renewal began in 1989, and today it is the city's most expensive district, its red-brick warehouses turned into restaurants and offices, with modern towers along the water. Walking along the docks is one of the city's best strolls, especially at sunset and in the evening when the bridge is lit. Nearby, the Costanera Sur ecological reserve on the riverbank suits birdwatchers and walkers.