10 Most Beautiful Bridges in the World
We've come a long way in bridge building since crossing a
river on a fallen log. The first bridges were built with wooden planks,
ropes and stones. Soon, stronger material were required. Wood and stone
bridges gave way to iron, then to steel ones. Bridge building
techniques also evolved: beam, cantilevered, cable-stayed, and
suspension bridges - each with advantages that made it the right choice
for a particular location.
Political fortunes and wars have been
made or lost by bridges. Throughout history, bridges had been built by
engineers and burned by warriors, and crossed by kings and commoners
alike. Millions of people owe their livelihood to bridges, as most
require them to commute; and yet thousands of people choose to end their
lives by jumping off them every year.
Bridges are stylish: from
classical to modern, they are as much a work of art as they are marvels
of engineering. To celebrate the wonders of "classic" bridges, here are
Neatorama's picks for the Top 10 Most Beautiful Bridges in the World:
10. Khaju Bridge
Photo: twocentsworth
Khaju Bridge at night.
The Khaju Bridge (Pol-e-Khajoo)
in Isfahan, Iran, was built in the 17th century by Shah Abbas II. The
bridge also serves as a dam, with sluice gates under the archways. When
the gates are closed, the water level behind the bridge is raised to
irrigate gardens alongside the Zayandeh River.
The Khoju Bridge
has two stories of arcades, marked by the distinctive intersecting
arches decorated with richly colored tiles. At the center of the bridge,
there are two large pavilions, called the Prince Parlors, that were
originally reserved for the Shah.
9. Pont du Gard
Pont du Gard.
Pont
du Gard, an aqueduct spanning the Gard River in southern France, is a
masterpiece of Roman engineering. It wasn't built to transport people
(though there is a pedestrian footbridge on it) - instead, it was part
of a complex aqueduct system that carried water over 30 miles (about 50
km) to the ancient Roman city of Nemausus (now Nîmes).
The
Pont du Gard was built by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (63 - 12 BC), the
son-in-law of Caesar Augustus. The bridge's stones, some of which weigh
up to 6 tons, were cut perfectly to fit together without any mortar.
The
wedge-shaped stones, known as voussoirs, were arranged in three levels,
the top-most being the water conduit. So precise was the engineering
that the entire system descends only 56 ft. (17 m) vertically - over 30
miles! - to deliver 5 million gallons (20,00 m
3) of water to the city.
8. Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs.
In
the 19th century, Lord Byron named a Venetian limestone bridge across
the Rio di Palazzo connecting the Doge's prison to the interrogation
room in the main palace, the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri).
Supposedly, the prisoners would sigh when they look out the window -
with stone bars no less - to see their last view of beautiful Venice
before their imprisonment, torture or execution.
In reality,
Doge's prison held mostly small-time criminals. Also, the bridge was
built in 1600 by Antonio Contino, after the days of the inquisitions and
summary executions. Legend has it that if lovers kissed on a gondola
underneath the Bridge of Sighs at sunset, their love would last for
eternity.
7. Iron Bridge
Iron Bridge.
Iron bridge at night. Notice how the bridge and its reflection make a perfect circle.
The
Iron Bridge, spanning the Severn river in Shropshire, England, isn't a
particularly large or ornate bridge, but it does have something that
made it unique: it's the first bridge made completely out of cast iron.
In
the 18th century, Shropshire was rich in iron and coal - indeed, there
were more iron factories within two-mile radius of the town than any
other city in the world. It was also there that iron was first smelt
with coke. So it was only natural that the bridge would be made out of
iron, a stronger alternative to wood.
Architect
Thomas Farnolls Pritchard proposed a single arch bridge that would let
boats pass underneath, but he died before the bridge was built. The
construction of the Iron Bridge was carried out by a local master
ironworker named Abraham Darby III. About 400 tons (363 tonnes) of cast
iron was used, with about 800 separate castings. The Iron Bridge has 5
arch ribs, each cast in two halves. It only took three months to put the
parts together (which they did using screws instead of bolts!).
The
ease and speed of the Iron Bridge's construction helped convince
engineers of the versatility and strength of iron, and helped usher in
the Industrial Revolution era. Darby, however, didn't fare so well: he
severely underestimated the cost to build the bridge, and remained in
debt for the rest of his life.
6. Covered Bridges
The West Montrose Covered Bridge on the Grand River, Ontario, Canada. It's known locally as the Kissing Bridge.
Pisgah
Covered Bridge in southern Randolph County, North Carolina. It was
washed away by a flood in 2003, but rebuilt with 90% of the original
wood. It's now one of two historic covered bridges left in the state.
Thomas Malone Covered Bridge in Beaver Creek State Park, Ohio.
Covered
bridges are simply that: bridges that have enclosed sides and roof.
Though technically the Bridge of Sigh, Ponte Vecchio, and the Wind and
Rain Bridges in this list are covered bridges, this term usually means
simple, single-lane bridges in rural settings.
Before they are made famous by the 1995 Clint Eastwood film The Bridges of Madison County,
"kissing bridges" or "tunnels of love" have been the pride and joy of
many small towns across Europe and especially Northern America where
more than ten thousands of such bridges were built.
In the 19th
century, timber was plentiful and cheap (or, in many cases, free). So
it's natural that these bridges were made of wood. But why were they
covered? Well, lovers aside, the real reason was much more practical:
the wooden beams of the bridge lasted longer when protected from the
elements.
Unfortunately, due to neglect, theft of lumber,
vandalism, and fire, most covered bridges in the United States and
Canada have disappeared.
5. Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio.
Ponte Vecchio at night.
The
Ponte Vecchio is a medieval bridge over the Arno River. Actually, it's
much more than a bridge - it's a street, a marketplace, and a landmark
of Florence, Italy.
The Ponte Vecchio that we know today was built
in 1345 by Taddeo Gaddi after an older span was destroyed in a flood.
To finance the bridge, lots along the roadway were rented out to
merchants, especially butchers and tanners, to hawk their wares.
In
1565, Duke Cosimo I de Medici ordered an architect named Giorgio Vasari
to construct a roofed passageway. Soon after, jewelers, goldsmiths, and
merchants of luxury goods pushed out the butchers out of Ponte Vecchio.
Centuries of haphazard additions gave the bridge's distinctive,
irregular appearance today.
During World War II, after having
survived many floods, the bridge faced its gravest threat: German
bombers were blowing up bridges in Florence. It was a direct order from
Hitler that spared Ponte Vecchio from certain destruction.
It is
said that the word "bankruptcy" came from Ponte Vecchio. When a merchant
failed to pay his debt, the table ("banco") he used to sell his wares
was broken ("rotto") by soldiers. Not having a table anymore
("bancorotto"), meant the seller was bankrupt.
4. The Wind and Rain Bridge
Chengyang Bridge.
The
wind and rain bridges were a type of bridge built by the Dong people (a
minority ethnic group) in China. Because they live in the lowlands and
the valleys with many rivers, the Dong people are excellent bridge
builders. They are called "wind and rain" bridges because the covered
bridges not only let people cross the river, but also protect them from
the elements.
The Dong people don't use nails or rivets to build
these bridges - instead, they dovetail all of the wood. The largest and
most magnificent is the Chenyang Bridge, spanning the Linxi River near
the Dong village of Maan. The bridge is about 100 years old, and like
all wind and rain bridges, it was built without a single nail.
3. Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge.
Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise.
In
1855, engineer John Roebling started to design a bridge that at the
time would be the longest suspension bridge in the world, with towers
being the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere: the Brooklyn
Bridge in New York.
Today, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the main
crossings of the East River and one of the most heavily trafficked
bridges in the world. But in the late 19th century, it took Roebling
more than 14 years to convince the city to build the bridge.
After
he got approval, Roebling was surveying a site when his foot was
crushed by a ferry. Three weeks before the scheduled groundbreaking, he
died of tetanus. His son, an engineer named Washington Roebling took
over the project.
In
1872, while working on caissons to set the foundation for the towers,
Washington fell ill with caisson disease (a decompression sickness
commonly known as "the bends") that left him barely able to see, talk,
or write. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, rose to the occasion - she
learned engineering on the fly and for nine years went to the job site
to deliver her husband's directions. Washington himself was said to
watch the construction from his room through a binocular.
When the
Brooklyn Bridge was opened, Emily was honored with the first ride over
the bridge. She held a rooster, a symbol of victory, in her lap.
Washington himself rarely visited the bridge till his death in 1926.
One
interesting note about the Brooklyn Bridge: it stood fast while other
bridges built around the same time had crumbled. Engineers credit
Roebling for designing a bridge and truss system six times as strong as
he thought it needed to be!
2. Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge at twilight.
Tower Bridge at night.
It's
funny to think about ancient traffic jams, but that was why the Tower
Bridge in London, England was built. By the end of the 19th century, the
development of the eastern part of London caused such a load on the
London Bridge that the city decided to build a new bridge.
Construction
of the Tower Bridge started in 1886, led by architect Sir Horace Jones
and engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry. The design was a bascule (draw)
bridge with two towers built on piers, so the bridge wouldn't interefere
with the port facilities nearby.
A year after construction was
started, Jones died and his replacement, George D. Stevenson along with
Barry decided to modify the design a little bit. Instead of the original
brick facade design, the Tower Bridge had a more ornate Victorian
Gothic style meant to harmonize it with the nearby Tower of London.
When
the bridge opened in 1894, the public was aghast. H. Heathcote Statham,
Fellow of the Royal Insitute of British Architect, wrote the familiar
sentiment as thus: "The Tower Bridge ... represents the vice of
tawdriness and pretentiousness, and of falsification of the actual facts
of the structure." (Source: Waddell, J., Bridge Engineering, Google Books)
But
over time, people warmed up to the bridge. Indeed, the Tower Bridge
grew to be one of London's most recognizable landmarks. Even one of its
loudest critics, architectural critic Eric de Maré conceded: the British
people "have grown fond of the old fraud ... and we must admit that it has carried on its task with admirable regularity and efficiency." (Source: Dupré, J., Bridges; 1997 Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)
1. Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge in HDR as the first big storm of the season hits San Francisco.
Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.
Golden Gate Bridge at night.
The
Golden Gate Bridge is such an iconic symbol of San Francisco (and of
suspension bridge in general) that it's hard to imagine a time when it
didn't exist. But before it was built, most people thought it was an
impossible task.
In
1916, the idea of a bridge to cross the Golden Gate, a narrow strait
that separated San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Headlands, was
conceived. Though it was almost immediately dismissed as the cost was
estimated to be $100 million (astronomical for the time), a veteran
bridge builder named Joseph Strauss lobbied for more than two decades to
have it built.
The Golden Gate Bridge faced tough opposition: the
Department of War thought it would interfere with ship traffic and the
Southern Pacific Railroad opposed it as competition to its ferry
service. At first, even the public didn't like the bridge ... because
Strauss' original design was deemed too ugly! But Strauss finally won,
and after 22-years of drumming up support, the bridge was built. (Photo:
SF Museum)
Strauss
insisted that the project take worker's safety seriously. It was the
first major bridge project that used hard hats and a safety net. During
the course of construction, 19 people were saved by the net to become
members of the
Halfway to Hell Club. (Source)
The color of the Golden Gate Bridge is actually not red - it's an orange vermillion called
International Orange.
The color was chosen specifically because it complements the bridge's
natural surrounding yet enhances its visibility in the fog.
Construction
took more than four years, at a cost of $27 million. The Golden Gate
Bridge actually came in $1.3 million under budget (though 5 months
late). For his work, Strauss got $1 million ... and a lifetime bridge
pass!
