Liberty Bridge (Budapest)
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Szabadság híd (in English: Liberty Bridge or Freedom Bridge) in
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
, connects Buda and Pest across the
River Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. It is the third southernmost public road bridge in Budapest, located at the southern end of the City Centre. It was originally named Ferenc József híd (Franz Joseph Bridge). At its two ends are two public squares, Gellért tér (at the foot of
Gellért Hill Gellért Hill ( hu, Gellért-hegy; german: Blocksberg; la, Mons Sancti Gerhardi tr, Gürz İlyas Bayırı) is a high hill overlooking the Danube in Budapest, Hungary. It is located in the 1st and the 11th districts. The hill was named after ...
, with the Gellért Spa and
Hotel Gellért The Hotel Gellért is an Art Nouveau hotel on the right river of Danube in Budapest, Hungary. It closed for renovations on December 1, 2021. History Construction on the Hotel Saint Gellért started in 1912. The hotel was named for Saint Gellért ...
) and Fővám tér (with the Great Market Hall). The Liberty Bridge is the shortest bridge in Budapest's center. Initially built as part of the Millennium World Exhibition at the end of the 19th century, the bridge features art nouveau design, mythological sculptures and the country's coat of arms adorned on its side. The northeastern house contains a museum on the bridges of Budapest. The bridge was the first in the city to be rebuilt after suffering heavy damage during World War II.


Construction

The bridge was built between 1894 and 1896 to the plans of János Feketeházy. Although radically different in structure (it is a cantilever truss bridge with a suspended middle span), the bridge imitates the general outline of a chain-type bridge, which was considered an aesthetically preferable form at the time of construction. The bridge was opened in the presence of
Emperor Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
; the last silver
rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...
on the Pest
abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
was inserted into the iron structure by the Emperor himself, and the bridge was originally named after him.


Dimensions and decorations

The bridge is 333.6 m in length and 20.1 m in width. The top of the four masts are decorated with large bronze statues of the
Turul The Turul is a mythological bird of prey, mostly depicted as a Falcon, in Hungarian tradition and Turkic tradition, and a national symbol of Hungarians. Origin The Turul is probably based on a large falcon. The Hungarian language word ''tur ...
, a falcon-like bird, prominent in ancient
Hungarian mythology Hungarian mythology includes the myths, legends, folk tales, fairy tales and gods of the Hungarians, also known as the Magyarok. Sources of knowledge Much of Magyar mythology is believed to be lost. However, in the last hundred years scholars o ...
.


Traffic

A number of trams cross the bridgehttps://pestbuda.hu/en/cikk/20211004_2021_10_04_9_00 as well as other road vehicles, but there is an initiative to convert it to a pedestrian-only crossing now that the fourth underground metro line is completed.


See also

* Bridges of Budapest * List of crossings of the Danube River


References


External links


DBridges - Szabadsg hd

Photos of Budapest bridges


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*Four more photos


Bridges of Budapest - Liberty Bridge
Bridges in Budapest Bridges completed in 1896 Bridges over the Danube Cantilever bridges Industrial archaeological sites in Hungary {{Hungary-bridge-struct-stub