Mary Bridge (), formerly Trajan Bridge and Hunyadi Bridge, is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

in the western

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n city of

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

, crossing the Bega River. It connects the Cetate district with the

Iosefin Iosefin (; ) is a historic district in western Timișoara. It was founded during the mid-18th century, at the beginning being just a village of German settlers, located on the outskirts of the walls of the Timișoara Fortress. Its name comes from t ...

district. In the immediate vicinity are the Water Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral. The bridge is 32.8 meters wide and 40 meters long. The tram tracks are seven meters wide and both sidewalks are two meters wide.

Name

The 1849 city map lists the bridge as the Great Bridge. Following the

Austro-Hungarian Compromise The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (, ) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereign ...

of 1867, it was initially named ''Losonczy híd'', after , the last defender of the local fortress before its

capture Capture may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Capture", a song by Simon Townshend * Capture (band), an Australian electronicore band previously known as Capture the Crown * ''Capture'' (TV series), a reality show Television episodes * "Chapter ...

by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1552. The name was later changed to ''Hunyadi híd'' in honor of Hungarian statesman and military leader

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (; ; ; ; ; – 11 August 1456) was a leading Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Kingdom of Hungary ...

. Similarly, the road connecting the inner city ( Cetate) and

was also named ''Hunyadi utca''. After Timișoara came under Romanian control in 1919, the bridge was renamed Trajan Bridge, after the Roman Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

. In 2016, the Timișoara City Council decided to rename the bridge to ''Podul Maria''.

History

Wooden bridge

The initial bridge on the site of today's Mary Bridge was a wooden structure that linked the Peterwardein Gate to

. By the late 19th century, this bridge had deteriorated significantly and urgently required replacement, particularly because it was also used by the

horse-drawn tram A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, which developed ou ...

way, which had been extended to

on 25 October 1869.

Steel bridge

A steel truss bridge was constructed between 1870 and 1871 to replace the deteriorating wooden bridge. The bridge's metal structure was supplied by the Reșița Ironworks' bridge factory, where it was manufactured. This bridge was the city's second steel bridge, alongside ''Bem híd'', which also opened in the same year. A notable feature of the steel bridge was its asymmetry, with a single-sided pedestrian walkway on the west side. When the electric tramway was introduced in 1899, the 1871 steel bridge needed reinforcement, which included the addition of two supporting pillars. The tramway company, then known as '' Temesvári Villamos Városi Vasút Részvénytársaság'', covered a quarter of the project's cost.

Concrete bridge

The construction of the current concrete bridge leading to

began in March 1913. However, progress was slow during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, with the bridge's load test conducted between 14 and 18 December 1915. The bridge was opened to pedestrians on 1 January 1916, and opened for road traffic in 1917. It wasn't until November 1918 that the tram was finally rerouted from the temporary bridge, which had been in use since November 1912, to the permanent route. The old 120-ton steel bridge, however, was repurposed in 1915 as a pedestrian bridge about 500 meters downstream, now known as '' Podul de Fier''. After

World War II 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 bridge was modernized and is now the widest of the city's older bridges.

Architecture

The bridge's design is straightforward, with the upper section reflecting the early phase of the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style. The final version of the bridge lacked the towers, galleries, and decorative features outlined in the consolidation and reconstruction plans.

References

{{Reflist Bridges in Timișoara