Most SNP

Most SNP

Most SNP, from Bratislava Castle
Coordinates 48°08′18″N 17°06′16″E / 48.1384°N 17.104581°E / 48.1384; 17.104581 (Nový Most)Coordinates: 48°08′18″N 17°06′16″E / 48.1384°N 17.104581°E / 48.1384; 17.104581 (Nový Most)
Crosses Danube
Locale Bratislava
Official name Most Slovenského národného povstania
Characteristics
Design asymmetric, double-decked cable stayed bridge
Total length 430.8 metres (1,413 ft)
Width 21.0 metres (68.9 ft)
Height 84.60 metres (277.6 ft) (pylon)
Longest span 303 metres (994 ft)
History
Construction begin 1967
Construction end 1972
Opened August 26, 1972
View of the pylon and "UFO"

View of the pylon and "UFO"

Bratislava Castle and St. Martin's Cathedral, as seen from Most SNP

Most Slovenského národného povstania (English: Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising), commonly referred to as Most SNP or the UFO Bridge, and named Nový most (English: New Bridge) from 1993 to 2012, is a road bridge over the Danube in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is the world's longest cable-stayed bridge to have one pylon and one cable-stayed plane.

It is an asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge with a main span length of 303 m (994 ft). Its steel construction is suspended from steel cables, connected on the Petržalka side to two pillars. The total length of the bridge is 430.8 m (1,413 ft), its width 21 m (69 ft), and it weighs 537 t (592 short tons).

A special attraction is the flying saucer-shaped structure housing a restaurant, which since 2005 has been called UFO (previously, Bystrica), on the bridge's 84.6 m (278 ft) pylon. The restaurant is reached using an elevator located in the east pillar, and offers a good view over Bratislava. The west pillar houses an emergency staircase with 430 stairs. Nový Most has four lanes for motor traffic on the upper level and lanes for bicycles and pedestrians on the lower level.

Name

Since its construction in 1972 the bridge was called Most SNP (English: Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising), although locally it was called New Bridge. In 1993, its name was changed by the Bratislava City Council to Nový Most (English: New Bridge) to unify its official name with that actually used by the people. On 29 March 2012 members of the Bratislava City Council voted in favor of an initiative by the Mayor of Old Town Táňa Rosová (SDKÚ-DS) to change the bridge's name back to Most SNP, effective 29 August 2012.[1]

Construction

The bridge was built between 1967 and 1972 under a project managed by A. Tesár, J. Lacko, and I. Slameň.[2] It officially opened on August 26, 1972, as the second bridge over the Danube in Bratislava. A significant section of the Old Town below Bratislava Castle, which included nearly all of the Jewish quarter, was demolished to create the roadway that led to it;[3] on the other hand, the bridge improved access between Petržalka and the rest of the city. Parts of the historical city walls were unearthed during construction.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tkáčiková, Lucia; Durdovanský, Michal (29 March 2012). "Bratislava will again have a 'SNP Bridge'". SME. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
  2. ↑ http://slovakia.travel/en/bratislava-ufo-classed-one-of-the-craziest-places
  3. ↑ http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/53370/8/the_changing_face_of_bratislava.html
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