Oławski Bridge () is a

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

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 ...

over the

Oława River Oława (, , ) is a historic town in south-western Poland with 33,029 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, within the Wrocław metropolitan area. It is the seat of Oława County and of the smaller administrative distr ...

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It was also known as Mauritius Brücke or Margarethenbrücke (German), St. Mauritius Bridge (English), and (cattle drive bridge). It was constructed during 1882–1883 and was designed by

Alexander Kaumann 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 ...

, with assistance from Eger and Reichelt, Beer, Wackwitz and Hoffmann. Before the construction of the Oławski Bridge, there was a footbridge that was used to drive cattle across the Oława, and for a time the bridge was called the Wygonowy Bridge (cattle drive bridge; Polish: Most Wygonowy). The bridge is adorned with sculptural elements made by P. Heisler under the direction of Robert Toberentza and in collaboration with Heinrich Weltringa. The metal decorative elements were made by Gustav Trelenberg. In 1962 and 1990 the bridge was completely renovated. The bridge is constructed using brick arches and supports, covered with stone blocks (blows) decorated with a hammered texture. The railings are ornate, with baluster elements modeled on the iconography of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

. The total length of the bridge is , and its total width is . The roadway surface on the bridge is made of granite blocks. Before World War II, a tram line ran across the bridge; it was removed during renovation of the track.

References

Bridges in Wrocław Bridges completed in 1883 Road bridges in Poland {{Poland-bridge-struct-stub