The Triple Bridge (, in older sources also ''Tromostje'') comprises three bridges spanning the
Ljubljanica
The Ljubljanica (), known in the Middle Ages as the ''Leybach'', is a river in the southern part of the Ljubljana Basin in Slovenia. The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, lies on the river. The Ljubljanica rises south of the town of Vrhnika and ...
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 the historical medieval town on the southeastern bank with the central
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square () is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports, political events ...
on the northwestern bank. Dating back to the 13th century, it stands as the oldest bridge in Ljubljana. In the early 1930s, 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 ...
redesigned and expanded it. In August 2021, the Triple Bridge was added to the
UNESCO World Heritage List
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
as part of Plečnik's enduring legacy.
Design
The central bridge is partly built from
Glinica limestone Glinica may refer to the following places:
In Bosnia and Herzegovina:
* Glinica, Velika Kladuša, a village in Velika Kladuša municipality
In Poland:
* Glinica, Głogów County in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (south-west Poland)
*Glinica, Wrocław ...
. Other parts are built from
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
. The balustrades with 642 balusters are made of concrete. The platform is paved with
granite block
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
s laid in 2010. Previously, it was paved with
asphalt
Asphalt most often refers to:
* Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete
* Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
.
History
There is mention of a wooden bridge in this location from 1280. It was at first called the ''Old Bridge'' () and later the ''Lower Bridge'' (), in contrast to the ''Upper Bridge'' that was built in the location of the nowadays
Cobblers' Bridge
The Cobblers' Bridge or the Shoemakers' Bridge ( or ) is a pedestrian bridge crossing the river Ljubljanica in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It connects two major areas of medieval Ljubljana. It is decorated by two kinds of pillars, the Cori ...
in the same century. It was also named the Špital Bridge () after the nearby
poorhouse
A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy.
Workhouses
In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...
, which was established in the early 14th century. It was built anew in 1657 after a fire.
In 1842, the Lower Bridge was replaced by a new bridge designed by
Giovanni Picco, an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
architect from
Villach
Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887.
Together wit ...
, and named Franz's Bridge, () in honor of
Archduke Franz Karl of Austria
Archduke Franz Karl Joseph of Austria (17 December 1802 – 8 March 1878) was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He was the father of two emperors: Franz Joseph I of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico. Through his third son Karl Lud ...
. It also became known as the Franciscan Bridge (). This bridge, opened on 25 September 1842, had two arches and a metal fence. The essentials of the bridge have been preserved until today, which is evidenced by the inscribed dedication to the archduke above its central pier, reading in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
"", which means "To Archduke Franz Karl in 1842 by the Town."
In order to prevent the 1842 stone
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...
from being a
bottleneck
Bottleneck may refer to:
* the narrowed portion (neck) of a bottle
Science and technology
* Bottleneck (engineering), where the performance of an entire system is limited by a single component
* Bottleneck (network), in a communication network
* ...
, 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 in 1929 the extension of the bridge with two
footbridge
A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
s at a slight angle on each side of it. In collaboration with his student
Ciril Tavčar
Ciril is a masculine given name common to Slovenia
People
* Ciril Bergles, Slovene poet
* Ciril Cvetko, Slovene composer
* Ciril Grossklaus, Swiss judoka
* Ciril Horjak, Slovene illustrator
* Ciril Klinar, Slovenian ice hockey player
* Ciril Kotn ...
, who drew the plans, he published the proposal in the same year in the journal ''
Ljubljanski zvon
''Ljubljanski zvon'' (The Ljubljana Bell) was a Literary magazine, journal published in Ljubljana in Slovene language, Slovene between 1881 and 1941. It was considered one of the most prestigious literary and cultural magazines in Slovenia.
Earl ...
''. Construction started in 1931 and continued until spring 1932. The bridge was opened for traffic in April 1932.
The bridge was renovated in 1992. Since 2007, all the three bridges have been part of the Ljubljana pedestrian-only zone.
Depictions
* A model of the bridge is displayed at
Mini-Europe
Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in the Bruparck entertainment park, at the foot of the Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. Mini-Europe has reproductions of monuments in the European Union and other countries within the continent of Europe on ...
in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
.
* On 23 January 2012, celebrating the 140th anniversary of Jože Plečnik's birth, a picture of the Triple Bridge was featured as an official
Google logo (Doodle) adaptation in Slovenia.
See also
Other bridges designed by Plečnik:
*
Butchers' Bridge
The Butchers' Bridge () is a footbridge crossing the river Ljubljanica in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It connects the Ljubljana Central Market and the Petkovšek Embankment (). The bridge was solemnly opened on 10 July 2010.
The origi ...
*
Cobblers' Bridge
The Cobblers' Bridge or the Shoemakers' Bridge ( or ) is a pedestrian bridge crossing the river Ljubljanica in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It connects two major areas of medieval Ljubljana. It is decorated by two kinds of pillars, the Cori ...
*
Rooster Bridge
The Rooster Bridge (, , ,Kocjan-Barle, Marta. 1994. ''Abeceda pravopisa: Vaje''. Ljubljana: DZS, p. 39. ''Tenente'') in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is a footbridge crossing the Gradaščica River in the Trnovo District south of the downtown ...
*
Ljubljanica Sluice Gate
The Ljubljanica Sluice Gate (), or the Partition (), is a sluice gate and a triumphal arch on the Ljubljanica River in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located between Cukrarna (a former sugar factory) and Vraz Square () in the Center ...
*
Trnovo Bridge
The Trnovo Bridge () is a bridge crossing the Gradaščica River in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located in front of Trnovo Church at the end of Karun Street () to the south of the city centre and is a continuation of Emona Street ...
References
External links
44 international travelers sharing their experience of Triple Bridge on VirtualTurist.com
by the Burger.si
Youtube video on the Triple Bridgeby
InYourPocket travel guide
{{coord, 46, 03, 04, N, 14, 30, 22, E, region:SI-061_type:landmark, display=title
Bridges in Ljubljana
Bridges completed in 1932
Jože Plečnik buildings
Bridges over the Ljubljanica
Center District, Ljubljana
Arch bridges in Slovenia
Pedestrian bridges in Slovenia
Art Nouveau architecture in Ljubljana
Art Nouveau bridges
20th-century architecture in Slovenia