Hradecky Bridge
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The Hradecky Bridge () is a footbridge spanning the Ljubljanica River in
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
, the capital of
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. It connects Hrenova Street in the
Trnovo District The Trnovo District (), or simply Trnovo, is a district (Slovenia), district () of the City Municipality of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. References External links *Trnovo District on Geopedia
Trnovo District, Districts of Ljub ...
with the Prule neighbourhood of the Center District. One of the first hinged arch bridges in the world, and the first (and only preserved)
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
bridge in Slovenia, it was praised as a technical achievement at its construction in 1867, as well as for its elegance, modernity, and cost-effectiveness. The bridge's modular construction has made it relatively easy to relocate, and it has been moved twice. By virtue of its location on the route used to transport decedents from Ljubljana's main hospital to the city mortuary (between 1931 and 2010), it gained the somber nickname "Bridge of the Dead" (), which remains in colloquial use. The bridge was manufactured according to the plans of engineer
Johann Hermann Johann, or Jean-Frederic, Hermann, or Herrmann, (31 December 1738 in Barr, Alsace – 4 October 1800 in Strasbourg) was a French physician and naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi ...
from Vienna at the Auersperg iron foundry in Dvor near Žužemberk, and was installed as the first cast iron bridge in Ljubljana in 1867, replacing the wooden Cobblers' Bridge. It has three articulated arches, each of them made of two sections joined by a bolt at the highest point of the arch. The elements are joined with
screw A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...
s instead of wedges, and reinforcing bars and hollow elements were used instead of full pylons, which enable the bridge to be much lighter while remaining stable. The design represents several major technical advancements over the first generation of cast-iron bridges, such as the 1781 Iron Bridge across the
Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...
in England. The bridge was officially named after 1820-1846 Ljubljana mayor Johann Nepomuk Hradeczky, but was (at its original location) commonly known as the Cobblers' Bridge. In 1931, the architect
Jože Plečnik Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovenian architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge a ...
designed the current iteration of the Cobblers' Bridge, moving the Hradecky Bridge further down the Ljubljanica to a site near the former Ljubljana mortuary on Zaloška Street, at which point he also replaced the original gas lamps at its corners with
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-style concrete spires housing electric street-lamps. In 2004, the bridge (which had never been intended for motor vehicles) was determined to be unsafe and was closed to all traffic, with a temporary footbridge built alongside it in 2009. In 2010, the bridge was dismantled, renovated, and transferred to its current site, connecting the Krakovo Embankment () and the Gruden Embankment (). It reopened in 2011 as a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists only. File:Čevljarski most in stavba Jugoslovanske strokovne zveze 1925.jpg, The bridge at its original location in the center of Ljubljana, at the site of today's Cobblers' Bridge File:20-MrtvaskiMostLj.JPG, The bridge at its second location near the
Ljubljana University Medical Centre The Ljubljana University Medical Centre (, abb. ''UKC Ljubljana'') or Ljubljana UMC is the largest hospital centre in Slovenia based in Ljubljana. It was officially opened on 29 November 1975 and has over 2,100 beds and over 8,300 employees, mak ...
. A district heating pipeline marks its appearance.


References


External links

* {{coord , 46, 2, 39.68, N, 14, 30, 20.70, E, region:SI_type:landmark, display=title Bridges in Ljubljana Bridges completed in 1867 Cast-iron arch bridges Bridges over the Ljubljanica Arch bridges in Slovenia