Inheritance from the Medici
The Florentine Ponte Vecchio bridge seems about to collapse under the weight of its treasures. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry shine, sparkle, and glitter in the tiny jewelry shops perched right on the bridge, like chickens on a roost. Such a selection of jewelry is found nowhere else. Fashionistas from all over the world, especially wealthy American women, come to Florence for just one day to buy something original for the next party.
Ponte Vecchio is probably the only bridge in Europe where merchants' shops have survived since the Middle Ages. True, back then they belonged to butchers and tanners, and their assortment was simpler and much more prosaic. Everything changed when the Medici, who ruled Florence, moved to the Palazzo Pitti on the opposite bank of the Arno. A corridor was built over the bridge, connecting the Pitti and the Old Palace located on the other side of the river. The Medici dukes used this corridor to go from one palace to another without encountering their subjects. But the noise and smell of the shops on the bridge irritated them. Eventually, the unpleasant neighbors were expelled, and jewelers were invited in their place. From then until the present day, Ponte Vecchio has been the center of jewelry trade, a veritable jewel box that Florence always keeps open.
The bridge was built in 1345. Architect: Taddeo Gaddi. Total length – 240 m.
In the Service of Her Majesty
Tower Bridge, spanning the Thames, connects two London attractions at once: the oldest – the royal Tower of London, and the youngest – the building of London City Hall, resembling a huge glass egg. Despite its flamboyant Gothic appearance, the bridge is indecently young – just over a century old. Its two bascules span a 60-meter opening. Since the bridge had to be raised quite often at the end of the 19th century, pedestrian walkways were laid at a height of 43 m between its towers. Earlier, to cross to the other side of the Thames, one had to climb 300 steps up and the same down. Now the need to climb steep stairs is gone – you can go up and down by elevator.
Over time, the bridge gained an unhealthy popularity among those wanting to quickly end their lives. To avoid trouble, the walkways were closed and only reopened in 1982, after being glazed. Like a ship, Tower Bridge is commanded by a captain, and it is insured by Lloyd's. To pass under the bridge, skippers of large ships apply many days in advance to the captain of Tower Bridge with a request to raise the bascules at the required hour, each weighing over 1,000 tons. And if they get the green light, they can be sure that nothing and no one will hinder them. Even US President Bill Clinton, whose motorcade once got stuck for a long time at Tower Bridge when it was raised due to a barge passing underneath.
Built in 1894. Total length - 340 m. Width - 10 m. Maximum lift angle of the spans: 86 degrees. Lift time: 1.5 min.
America, America
Hollywood made the Brooklyn Bridge famous worldwide. It played a great role in 'Aliens in New York' and 'Zombie – Flesh Eaters'. It was in its steel cables and stays that Godzilla, somehow having crossed from the Japanese islands, got tangled. It even appeared in the Oscar-winning 'Gangs of New York', although the film is set several years before construction began.
It is still worth walking across the incredibly long Brooklyn Bridge, if only for the panorama it offers of the most American of all American cities. On the left, the silhouettes of New York's skyscrapers propping up the sky. On the right, one of the most beautiful views of Manhattan – its Seaport. The wooden planks of the pedestrian walkways creak slightly under bicycle wheels and runners' sneakers. Benches are placed along the sides for rest. In the middle, a platform with bronze bas-reliefs telling the story of the bridge's construction. Its creator, John Roebling, came to America to farm but went bankrupt, then remembered his engineering education received in Germany and succeeded in designing suspension bridges. The Brooklyn Bridge turned out splendidly – with roadways for horse-drawn carriages (automobiles were not even heard of then), wide pedestrian walkways, and streetcar tracks in the middle.
The elegant silhouette of the bridge pleased New Yorkers. They arrange dates and declare love on it. Photographers have distributed its image around the world. However, the bridge is not only an object of inspiration and a place of passionate declarations. The most enterprising residents of the New World make good money from it. At the beginning of the last century, a certain George Parker (who by then had already 'sold' the Statue of Liberty and the Metropolitan Museum with all its contents to European simpletons) forged documents confirming ownership of the Brooklyn Bridge, and within two months managed to sell it six times, each time attracting clients with income from toll collection from one bank of the East River to the other.
Built in 1883. Total length – 1,825 m. Central span – 486 m. Height of roadway above water - 41 m. Height of support towers – 82.5 m. Cable diameter – 0.4 m. Cost $9 million.
Road Without End
The Saint-Bénezet Bridge in Avignon, France, is undoubtedly the most famous bridge in Provence, even though one can no longer cross the Rhône on it. However, it offers the best view of the Papal Palace - the largest palace of the Middle Ages, where for nearly a hundred years, under the watchful eye of French kings, the popes lived. The bridge was built in the 12th century. And it is about this bridge that the popular song 'Sur le pont d'Avignon' was composed, which every schoolchild learning French has sung at least once in their life. The construction of the bridge is associated with the legend of the shepherd boy Bénezet, whom angels commanded to connect both banks of the Rhône River. Upon learning this, the inhabitants of Avignon, according to the customs of the time, first declared the shepherd a saint, then rolled up their sleeves and set to work. In 1185, the bridge was completed: 900 meters long, with 19 arches, fully spanning the two branches of the Rhône.
But alas, floods, wars, and other medieval calamities regularly rendered it unusable. And time after time, the hardworking people of Avignon restored it to its original state. Until the 17th century, when they finally decided: enough! And they built another one. The old one, breaking off right in the middle of the river, was left as is - with massive stone towers at the entrance and a small chapel of Saint Nicholas on the second pier. At night, access to the bridge is closed. They say it is to save the lives of tourists who have indulged in an excessive amount of wine from the Rhône vineyards.
Length of the surviving section - 140 m. Number of remaining spans - 4. Width - 6 m.
There is nothing more expensive
The ingenious Japanese once again amazed the world by constructing near Osaka the most grandiose of existing bridges - the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. Construction of the monster bridge over the Akashi Strait in the Inland Sea took 10 years - from 1988 to 1998. During this time, the builders fully experienced the fierce force of typhoons, the treachery of sea currents, the destructive power of earthquakes, and the treacherous softness of the seabed. But they did it!
Having become one of the main tourist attractions of Osaka, the Japanese engineering marvel captivates with its elegance and rightfully claims to be the 'most-most' in a long list of categories. There is the two-kilometer span between the support towers, each of which is as tall as the Eiffel Tower. And the steel cables with a diameter of 1.12 m. The wire used to make them is enough to wrap around the Earth ten times along the equator. And finally, the mind-boggling price of $4.3 billion, which makes the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge the most expensive bridge in the world.
Total length of the bridge – 3,910 m. Length of the main span – 1,991 m. Height of the support towers – 283 m.