The Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge or Trezzo Bridge was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

bridge at Trezzo sull'Adda in

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, spanning the Adda river. Completed in 1377, the single-arch bridge held the record for the largest span for over four hundred years, until the beginnings of the

Industrial Age The Industrial Age is a period of history that encompasses the changes in economic and social organization that began around 1760 in Great Britain and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-d ...

, while it was not until the early 20th century that masonry bridges with larger openings were constructed.

History

The Trezzo Bridge was built between 1370 and 1377 by order of the lord of

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Bernabò Visconti Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he ...

. Fortified with towers, it provided access to the Visconti Castle high above the Adda. During a siege in 1416, the

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

Carmagnola Carmagnola (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located south of Turin. The town is on the right side of the Po river. The nature of the soil determined over time how the river's ...

deliberately caused the structure to collapse by weakening one of its

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 that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

s. Its single arch featured a span of , according to other sources even as much as . By comparison, the second largest pre-industrial bridge vault, the French Pont de Vieille-Brioude, spans . The rise of the segmental arch was ca. , with a span-to-rise ratio of 3.3:1. The arch rip, measured at the springing, was thick, corresponding to a favourable ratio of rib thickness to clear span of only 1/32. The sandstone bridge was almost wide. Today, the two abutments with overhanging remnants of the arch vault are all that remain. The Trezzo Bridge was not matched until the metal

Wearmouth Bridge Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge across the River Wear in Sunderland, England. It is the final bridge over the river before its mouth with the North Sea. Original bridge The original Wearmouth Bridge was designed by Thomas Paine a ...

of the same span was built at

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, in 1796. Longer masonry arch spans were not achieved until the 1903 Adolphe Bridge in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

References

Sources

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External links

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''Lombardia Beni Culturali – Ponte fortificato (ruderi), Trezzo sull'Adda (MI)''
{{Visconti of Milan Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan City of Milan Bridges in Lombardy Buildings and structures completed in 1377 Deck arch bridges Stone bridges in Italy Demolished bridges Bridges completed in the 14th century

History

See also

References

Sources

External links