Franz Joseph Bridge ( cz, Most Františka Josefa), later renamed Štefanik Bridge ( cz, Štefánikův most), was a suspension bridge over the

Vltava Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

, opened in 1868. The bridge was designed by the English engineer

Rowland Mason Ordish Rowland Mason Ordish (11 April 1824 – 1886) was an English engineer. He is most noted for his design of the Winter Garden, Dublin (1865), for his detailed work on the single-span roof of London's St Pancras railway station, undertaken with Wil ...

. The design, which used the Ordish–Lefeuvre system, was originally created for the Albert Bridge over the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. However, after construction of the Albert Bridge was delayed, Ordish decided to build a bridge in Prague first. The foundation stone was laid on 19 October 1865, and engineer František Schön was charged with supervising the construction work.

Emperor Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

, after whom the bridge was named, attended the ceremonies for its opening on 13 May 1868. Much like its London counterpart, the Franz Joseph Bridge featured a combination of stay and suspension rods. The latter formed a cable which held the diagonal stay rods. The main span was long and wide, while the entire structure was over long. The bridge was gradually strengthened and rebuilt in the 1890s. In 1919, following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its monarchy, the Franz Joseph Bridge was renamed in honour of the Slovak politician and astronomer

Milan Rastislav Štefánik Milan Rastislav Štefánik (; 21 July 1880 – 4 May 1919) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator and astronomer. During World War I, he served at the same time as a general in the French Army and as Minister of War for Czechoslovakia. A ...

. In the 1930s, the bridge could no longer bear the increasing traffic in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

's capital, and the authorities began considering its replacement. It was named after the Czech composer

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European f ...

for a short period in the 1940s. The bridge was demolished in 1941 and replaced with a reinforced concrete one named after the communist activist

Jan Šverma Jan Šverma (23 March 1901, Mnichovo Hradiště – 10 November 1944, Mt. Chabenec, Low Tatras) was a Czech journalist, communist activist and resistance fighter against the Nazi-backed Slovak State, considered a national hero in the Czechoslovak ...

in 1951. In 1997, the new bridge was renamed the Štefánik Bridge.

References

External links

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Bridge over the Moldau
{{coord, 50.0942, 14.4270, type:landmark_region:CZ, display=title, format=dms Bridges completed in 1868 Bridges in Prague Bridges over the Vltava Former bridges Suspension bridges Former buildings and structures in the Czech Republic