The Liberty Bridge is a green giant spanning over the Danube. Its original name was Franz Joseph Bridge. It is situated in the south of the city, connecting Buda and Pest, as well as Gelert and Fovam Squares. It was constructed in the 19th century as a part of the Millennium Exhibition honoring the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian country. On the bridge you can see the coat of arms of Hungary, various mythological sculptures, as well as modern art details. A tram used to go across this bridge, so the small cabins which still stand on the very entrances to the bridge used to sell tram tickets.
One of these cabins is now a museum honoring Budapest bridges. During World War Two, the bridge was broken into two, but was later reconstructed to its former glory.
The bridge was built in the 19th century. Construction began in 1894 and it lasted until 1896. The opening of the bridge was attended by Franz Joseph himself, who then placed the final silver rivet onto the bridge. The bridge is 333-meters long and 20-meters tall. The top of the four masts are decorated with large bronze statues of the turul, a mythical Hungarian bird.
The bridge was constructed out of 600 tons of steel. Today, the bridge is crossed by trams and cars, and apart from being very useful, it is the most fun bridge in the world. For quite some time there has been an idea that the bridge should be converted into a pedestrian bridge. Until this idea is realised, the bridge is a popular pedestiran zone only on the weekends, where concerts and plays are organized, as well asmovie projections. There was once even a mass organized on this bridge.
Author of the aricle: Ljubiša Đuričić
