The Malleco Viaduct

When it was inaugurated on 26 October 1890, this viaduct crossing Chile’s Malleco River at a height of 102 metres was the highest in the world. Incorrectly attributed to Gustave Eiffel, it was in fact designed by Aurelio Lastarria, a Chilean engineer trained in Europe. Following an international competition in which the Eiffel company also took part, the contract for the viaduct’s metallic structure was won by the Schneider company at Le Creusot, which showed this model at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, then at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900. This 347-metre-long lattice bridge has five spans with a total weight of 1,410 tonnes, resting on four metallic piers, the tallest of which is 76 metres high. Still in use, it was reinforced in 1927 to withstand the increasing weight of rail traffic. It has been on the list of nominations for UNESCO World Heritage status since 1998.