Varadin Bridge
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Varadin Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Варадински мост, Varadinski most) is a bridge over the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
river in
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
,
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. The current bridge built in 2000, replaced the original bridge destroyed during
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or cities and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended obje ...
on 1 April 1999.


Name

The bridge's name, ''Varadin'', just like the name of
Petrovaradin Petrovaradin ( sr-Cyrl, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across the m ...
, derives from the Hungarian words for fortress (''vár'') and town (''város''), along with the
Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...
word for faith (''din''). The name of the old Varadin Bridge, prior to 1991, was Marshal Tito Bridge (), named after
Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...
. During the opening of the new bridge, it was named Varadin Rainbow ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Варадинска дуга, Varadinska duga) due to the bridges arch and rainbow night lighting. This name would later change to the current one.


Location

New Varadin Bridge was built on top of the piers of the Old Varadin Bridge, situated at the same location as the previous Prince Tomislav Bridge, at the end of Mihalja Pupina Boulevard (then named Maršala Tita Boulevard), connecting to
Petrovaradin Petrovaradin ( sr-Cyrl, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across the m ...
Old Town with Beogradska street.


History


Old Varadin Bridge

After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the city of Novi Sad lacked any permanent bridges across the Danube, using a temporary wooden
pontoon bridge A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, is a bridge that uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the support ...
. The construction of a new bridge on the location of the destroyed Prince Tomislav Bridge was imperative. Construction started on 13 August 1945 and was finished in record 160 days on 20 January 1946. The construction was done by German prisoners of war, which were later freed as a reward for completing the bridge. Marshal Tito Bridge was intended to be a temporary solution, planned to last only 5 years, however the bridge would remain for 53 years. It was built in the form of a single truss beam, repurposing the existing piers of the Prince Tomislav Bridge. The bridge was also notable for being the first permanent steel bridge built since the end of the Second World War in Europe. Prior to the construction of the
Žeželj Bridge Žeželj Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Жежељев мост, Žeželjev most) is a tied-arch bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was originally built in 1961, and was destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslav ...
in 1961, the bridge also functioned as the main railway bridge across the Danube. The last train over the Marshal Tito Bridge crossed in 1962, after which the railway was dismantled from the bridge, as well as the Štrosmajerova street and within
Petrovaradin Petrovaradin ( sr-Cyrl, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across the m ...
Old Town. On the last train car that crossed the bridge a poster was placed that had ''"Jel Vam žao što se rastajemo?"'' (Are you sorry that we're departing?) written on it. Like most communist streets and neighborhoods in Novi Sad, the bridge would change its name from Marshal Tito to Varadin in 1991. Due to its importance as a major traffic artery connecting Bačka and Syrmian end of the city, the bridge was destroyed at the early days of the
NATO bombing of Novi Sad During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, aerial bombings were carried out against the second largest Yugoslav city of Novi Sad. According to NATO press releases, the bombing targeted oil refineries, roads, bridges, and telecommunications relay ...
on 1 April 1999. Oleg M. Nasov, a 29 year old citizen of Novi Sad, died due to the bombing while riding his bike near the bridge. Citizens of Novi Sad would pay tribute to Oleg and the destroyed bridge by placing flowers on the Novi Sad end of the bridge. A plaque dedicated to Oleg Nasov would later be placed on the new bridge's entrance. The famous Yugoslav sculptor,
Jovan Soldatović Jovan Soldatović (November 26, 1920 in Čerević – October 7, 2005 in Novi Sad) was a Serbian and Yugoslav sculptor, internationally recognized for hundreds of sculptures and memorials. He was one of the most prominent modern Serbian scul ...
, would open up an exhibition at the ruins of the Varadin Bridge on 14 April, at the height of the intensive bombing of Novi Sad and Yugoslavia. The exhibition opened in front of the Novi Sad Club by Dr
Aleksandar Lučić Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...
. The set up an exhibition composed from the installation ''Dođe li rat – odoše ljudi'' (made in 1972) at the Novi Sad side of the bridge's ruins.


New Varadin Bridge

Following the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...
, just like the previous bridge, a new bridge was urgently needed. The remnants of the old bridge were cleaned up at the end of 1999. Construction started at the beginning of 2000, with
Mašinska Industrija Niš Mašinska industrija Niš ( sr-cyr, MИН Машинска индустрија Ниш; abbr. MIN) or Mechanical Industry Niš, is a Serbian holding corporation headquartered in Niš, Serbia. It is engaged in the energy, mining, process engineerin ...
working day and night, in parallel with the construction of Boško Peroševič Bridge. The bridge is of a box girder design. It repurposed the bridge piers of previous Varadin and Prince Tomislav bridges, adding additional concrete that elevates the road span for ship traversal, which gave the bridge its signature arch. The bridge was completed in September 2000, before the
2000 Yugoslavian general election General elections were held in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 24 September 2000.Dieter Nohlen & Philip StöverP (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1678 They included the presidential election, which was held using the two- ...
s and was opened for traffic in October of that year.


Gallery

File:Vasúti híd a Dunán. Fortepan 75262.jpg, Marshal Tito Bridge steel frame, 1964 File:Marshal Tito Bridge in Novi Sad.jpg, Marshal Tito Bridge in Novi Sad, later renamed into Varadin Bridge in 1991 File:Нато бомбама срушио Варадински мост.jpeg, Destroyed Bridge, 1999 File:Varadinski most - panoramio.jpg, New Varadin Bridge in Novi Sad, May 2009 File:Novi Sad Bridges, before and after 1999.JPG, Gallery for the memory of the destroyed bridges of 1999 placed on the pier of the new Varadin Bridge, December 2010 File:Novi Sad, Varadinski most.jpg, Old and new Varadin Bridge river piers, February 2011 File:Oleg M. Nasov, Varadin bridge, Novi Sad.jpg, Plaque dedicated to Oleg M. Nasov at the bridge's entrance, August 2013 File:Pogled na Petrovaradinsku tvrđavu - panoramio (1).jpg, River passing beneath the new bridge, November 2013 File:Varadinski most - panoramio (3).jpg, Road and Pedestrian walkway on the new bridge, July 2014 File:Varadin brige and Novi Sad from Petrovaradin Fortess 3.jpg, New Varadin Bridge at night, November 2016


See also

*
List of bridges in Serbia This list of bridges in Serbia lists bridges of particular historical, scenic, architectural or engineering interest. Road and railway bridges, viaducts, aqueducts and footbridges are included. Historical and architectural interest bridges Ma ...
*
List of crossings of the Danube This is a list of crossings of the Danube river, from its mouth in the Black Sea to its source in Germany. Next to each bridge listed is information regarding the year in which it was constructed and for what use it was constructed (foot bridge, bi ...


References


External links


Varadin Bridge
at structurae.net {{Authority control Bridges in Novi Sad Buildings and structures in Novi Sad Bridges completed in 2000 Bridges over the Danube Rebuilt buildings and structures in Serbia