Zwierzyniecki Bridge

Zwierzyniecki bridge

Zwierzyniecki Bridge is located in the eastern part of Wrocław, Poland. The bridge spans the Oder River and is in the immediate vicinity of Wrocław Zoo and the exhibition grounds about Centennial Hall. The bridge was built around 1655 and was originally wooden.

Between 1895 and 1897, Karl Klimm designed a new bridge under the supervision of the city architect, Richard Plüddemann and with the help of engineer A. Fruhwirth. The new truss bridge is a single-span steel structure, supported by granite abutments and consists of two parallel-braced rib steel arches placed 12.5 metres apart.

The characteristic features of the bridge are four decorative Art Nouveau obelisks made of red sandstone. The bridge is also illuminated at night by bespoke period street lamps.

During the siege of Festung Breslau in 1945, German soldiers, who wanted to prevent an expected attack from the east of the city, prepared to blow the bridge up by planting explosives. The Red Army troops, however, launched an assault from the South, saving Zwierzyniecki bridge from being destroyed

A marina (Przystań Zwierzyniecka), from which tourist excursion boats launch, is located only a stone's throw from Zwierzyniecki bridge and Wroclaw Zoo.

References

• Maciej Łagiewski, Mosty Wrocławia. Ossolineum Release, p. 61, 1989 ISBN 83-04-02937-5.
• Photo of a wooden bridge before demolition in 1895