Nusle Bridge () is a

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially prestressed (Compression (physics), compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-t ...

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It connects Prague 2 and

Prague 4 Prague 4, formally the Prague 4 Municipal District (''Městská čast Praha 4''), is a second-tier municipality in Prague. The administrative district (''správní obvod'') of the same name consists of municipal districts Prague 4 and Kunratice. ...

, across a valley which forms part of the

Nusle Nusle () is a district of Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a populati ...

district. The bridge is one of the longest in the country and carries two

footpaths A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...

, a multi-lane road and part of the city's metro network. The bridge links the city center to its south-eastern districts such as

Pankrác Pankrác is a neighborhood of Prague, Czech Republic. It is located south of the city centre on the hills of the eastern bank of the Vltava River and is part of the Prague 4 municipal district, situated in the district of Nusle. Bordering distri ...

, and joins the D1 motorway leading to

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. It is crucial to Prague's transportation network, since almost all north-south traffic flows across it. Below the six-lane highway on the surface, lies part of

Prague Metro The Prague Metro () is the rapid transit network of Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1974, the system consists of three lines (Line A (Prague Metro), A, Line B (Prague Metro), B and Line C (Prague Metro), C) serving 61 stationsCounting the thre ...

Line C between I.P. Pavlova and

Vyšehrad Vyšehrad (German: ''Wyschehrad,'' ''Prager Hochburg'', English: "upper castle") is a historic fort in Prague, Czech Republic, just over 3 km southeast of Prague Castle, on the east bank of the Vltava River. It was probably built in the 1 ...

stations. Image:NuselskyMost.jpg, View from the north Image:Nuselsky-most.jpg, View from the south Image:Nusle and Nusle Bridge Prague CZ 747.jpg, View from the west (from

) Image:Nuselsky most23.jpg, View from below

Description

The bridge is 485 metres long and 26.5 metres wide, consisting of a reinforced concrete structure with four pillars. Two sections of the bridge span 68.5m and the other three span 115.5m. The average height above the valley is 42.5m. The conduit for the metro line C has a

trapezoid In geometry, a trapezoid () in North American English, or trapezium () in British English, is a quadrilateral that has at least one pair of parallel sides. The parallel sides are called the ''bases'' of the trapezoid. The other two sides are ...

al cross section, with a height of almost 6.5 m and wall thickness from 30 to 110 cm. The road is illuminated by lamps mounted in the

central reservation A median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, freeways, and motorways. The term also ap ...

Position

The bridge crosses, ''inter alia'', Folimanka Park, Botič stream and the railway line from Prague main station to

Smíchov Smíchov () is, since 1922, a district and cadastral area of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and is part of Prague 5. It is on the west bank of the Vltava river. History It was only on 22 February 1903, that Smíchov was elevated to ...

. The majority of the bridge belongs to the administrative district of Prague 2. The section which lies to the south of the railway track below, however, belongs to Prague 4.

History

Construction began in 1967 and it opened on 22 February 1973 under the name Klement Gottwald Bridge (Czech: ''Most Klementa Gottwalda''), honouring the late communist revolutionary and former president

Klement Gottwald Klement Gottwald (; 23 November 1896 – 14 March 1953) was a Czech communist politician, who was the leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1929 until his death in 1953 – titled as general secretary until 1945 and as chairman f ...

Suicides

A total of 200 to 300 people have been recorded to have taken their own life by jumping from the bridge, garnering the nickname " Suicide bridge". Since 2011, the deceased have been commemorated in the monument named ''Of One's Own Volition'' by Krištof Kintera, in the park below. The bridge was originally constructed with only a 1m high railing. In response to the high casualty rate, a 1.5m wide safety net was installed underneath the railing. Between 1996 and 1997, further fencing was added, heightening the barrier to 2.7 m. In 2007, the fencing was topped off with another meter of polished metal to make it near-impossible to climb.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Viaducts Bridges completed in 1973 Bridges in Prague 1973 establishments in Czechoslovakia