Hradecky Bridge

Hradecky Bridge, Mortuary Bridge
Hradecky Bridge, Mortuary Bridge
	The Hradecky Bridge at its current location in Trnovo
Coordinates	46°02′40″N 14°30′21″E / 46.044356°N 14.50575°E
Crosses	Ljubljanica River
Locale	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Characteristics
Design	Cast iron arch bridge
Total length	30.8 metres (101 ft)
Width	6.42 metres (21.1 ft)
History
Opened	18 October 1867
Location

The Hradecky Bridge (Slovene: Hradeckega most) is a footbridge spanning the Ljubljanica River in Ljubljana,^[1] the capital of Slovenia. It connects Hrenova Street in the Trnovo District with the Prule neighbourhood of the Center District.^[1]

One of the first hinged arch bridges in the world,^[2] and the first^[3] (and only preserved) cast iron bridge in Slovenia,^[4] it was praised as a technical achievement^[5]^[6] at its construction in 1867, as well as for its elegance, modernity, and cost-effectiveness.^[6] The bridge's modular construction has made it relatively easy to relocate, and it has been moved twice. By virtue of its location on the route used to transport decedents from Ljubljana's main hospital to the city mortuary (between 1931 and 2010), it gained the somber nickname "Bridge of the Dead" (Mrtvaški most),^[3] which remains in colloquial use.

The bridge was manufactured according to the plans of engineer Johann Hermann from Vienna at the Auersperg iron foundry in Dvor near Žužemberk,^[6] and was installed as the first cast iron bridge in Ljubljana in 1867, replacing the wooden Cobblers' Bridge.^[7] It has three articulated arches,^[3] each of them made of two sections joined by a bolt at the highest point of the arch.^[6] The elements are joined with screws instead of wedges, and reinforcing bars and hollow elements were used instead of full pylons, which enable the bridge to be much lighter while remaining stable.^[6] The design represents several major technical advancements over the first generation of cast-iron bridges, such as the 1781 Iron Bridge across the Severn in England.^[6]

The bridge was officially named after 1820-1846 Ljubljana mayor Johann Nepomuk Hradeczky, but was (at its original location) commonly known as the Cobblers' Bridge.^[6] In 1931, the architect Jože Plečnik designed the current iteration of the Cobblers' Bridge,^[3] moving the Hradecky Bridge further down the Ljubljanica to a site near the former Ljubljana mortuary on Zaloška Street,^[3] at which point he also replaced the original gas lamps at its corners with Secession-style concrete spires housing electric street-lamps.^[6] In 2004, the bridge (which had never been intended for motor vehicles) was determined to be unsafe and was closed to all traffic, with a temporary footbridge built alongside it in 2009.^[3] In 2010, the bridge was dismantled, renovated, and transferred to its current site, connecting the Krakovo Embankment (Krakovski nasip) and the Gruden Embankment (Grudnovo nabrežje). It reopened in 2011^[5] as a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists only.

The bridge at its original location in the center of Ljubljana, at the site of today's Cobblers' Bridge
The bridge at its second location near the Ljubljana University Medical Centre. A district heating pipeline marks its appearance.

References

^ ^a ^b "365: Ljubljana - Hradeckega most" [365: Ljubljana - The Hradecky Bridge]. Registry of the Immovable Cultural Heritage (in Slovenian). Ministry of Culture, Slovenia. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
^ Humar, Gorazd (September 2001). "World Famous Arch Bridges in Slovenia: 6. Cast Iron Single-Hinged Arch Bridge in Ljubljana (1867)". In Charles Abdunur (ed.). Arch'01: troisième Conférence internationale sur les ponts en arc Paris. Paris: Presses des Ponts. p. 126. ISBN 2859783474.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Slivnik, Lara (2010). Juvanec, Borut (ed.). "Zgradbe z železno oziroma jekleno konstrukcijo v Sloveniji" [Buildings with iron and steel structures in Slovenia] (PDF). AR: Arhitektura, raziskave [Architecture, Research] (in Slovenian and English) (1). Inštitut za arhitekturo in prostor, Fakulteta za arhitekturo, Univerza v Ljubljani [Institute for Architecture and Space, Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana]: 38–39. ISSN 1581-6974. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-30.
^ "Točke Poljanskega predmestja" [The Points of the Poljane Suburb]. Geopedia.si (in Slovenian). Synergise, d. o. o. Hradeckega most [Hradecky Bridge].
^ ^a ^b "Hradecki Bridge". Ljubljana.si. Municipality of Ljubljana. 12 May 2011. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Trbižan, Milan (12 May 2011). "Tretje življenje mostu Hradeckega čez Ljubljanico" [The Third Life of the Hradecky Bridge over the Ljubljanica]. Delo.si (in Slovenian). ISSN 1854-6544. COBISS 256579584.
^ Habič, Marko (1997). Prestolnica Ljubljana nekoč in danes: Čevljarski most [A pictorial chronicle of a capital city: Shoemaker's Bridge]. National Publishing House of Slovenia. Sinergise, d. o. o. ISBN 8634120074. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)