Bridges in Slovakia

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BRIDGESIN SLOVAKIA

Peter Paulk


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MANY THANKS

TO THE SPONSORS

FOR THEIR SUPPORT

General sponsor

Main Sponsors

SLOVAKIA


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BRIDGESin Slovakia

Peter Paulk

BRATISLAVA 2014


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Ing. Peter Paulk, PhD.

JAGA GROUP, s. r. o., Bratislava 2014

Lectured by:dc. I. ub B, PD.Deptet f Ccete Stuctues d Bides, Fcut f Cii Eieei, STU Btis

pf. I. I B, PD.Deptet f Stee d Tibe Stuctues, Fcut f Cii Eieei, STU Btis

ISBN 978-80-8076-111-0


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I would like to

dedicate this

book to mygrandparents,

Jozef and Mria

Kislghy, Elena

and Jn Paulk.

Acknowledgements

First of all, I would like to express my thanks tomy wife Lenka, who was patiently tolerating mybusyness during the writing of the book and alsomy photography expeditions. I want to express mythanks for the support to my parents, whom I highlyappreciate, and also to my whole family.

I would like to express my thankfulness also to mysister Jana, who helped me with the translations.Special thanks go also to Milan Chandoga (Slovaknational member group fib), Gordon Clark (presidentof fib), Samuel Jelnek (Slovak Road Administration),Jaroslav Halvonk and Vladimr Benko (Faculty of CivilEngineering). Not only did they greatly help me in theprocess of searching information, but also in arrangingthe grammar corrections and finances necessary for thepublication of this book.

During the writing and the publishing of this book, alsoother colleagues, friends and acquaintances helpedme to a considerable degree. Among these peoplethere are mainly I. Bal, . Bolha, J. oltsz, . Fillo,I. Hudoba, J. Bilk, K. Gajdoov, A. Kopik (Facultyof Civil Engineering STU in Bratislava), M. Kouch (www.rail.sk), . koviera, J. ni (The Monument Board of theSlovak Republic), M. Krlikov (SSC), D. Krov (SKSI),J. Vilkovsk, Magdalna Lukov, Miriam Lukov(JAGA).

The book could be published also thanks to variouscompanies and institutions from the field of bridge

building in Slovakia. Therefore, in this part I wouldlike to mention the representatives of the companieswhich supported this book. They are namelyZ. Gimersk, I. Jakubk, M. utka, G. Koczk, B. echn(DOPRAVOPROJEKT), M. Maak, J. Frst (ALFA 04),J. Antol (ISPO), M. Bako (Amberg EngineeringSlovakia), S. Podmanick (REMING CONSULT),I. Hust (SHP SK).


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PrEFaCE .......................................................8

BaSIC DIvISIon anD BrIDgETErmInology ........................................15

ovErvIEw oF BrIDgES aCCorDIngTo ThE TownS anD vIllagES.......33

BBho ........................................................34BanSk BEl ...........................................35BanSk BySTrICa .................................36BanSk TIavnICa ...............................40BarDEjov ..................................................41BTovCE ....................................................44BErnolkovo .......................................46BETlIar .......................................................47Ba .............................................................48BohUnICE .................................................48BojnICE ......................................................49BraTISlava a okolIE .........................50BUany ......................................................81ByTa ..........................................................82BrzoTn .....................................................83

aDCa .........................................................84aChTICE ...................................................84ErvEn kamE....................................85ErvEn klTor ................................86

Unovo ....................................................87

DDlh naD oravoU .............................87DoBr nIva .............................................88DoBIn ....................................................89Doln ozorovCE ................................89Doln PlaChTInCE .............................90Doln ChoTr ......................................91

Doln kUBn ..........................................92Donovaly ...............................................95DravCE.......................................................96DrIEToma .................................................96

GgElnICa .....................................................97gEmErSk hrka ................................98gErlaChov ..............................................99

HhalI ...........................................................99hanDlov ............................................100hanUovCE naD ToPoU............ 101hElCmanovCE .................................... 102hlohovEC .............................................103hnIlEC .....................................................105hol........................................................106horn TUBa ..................................108horn SnIE ........................................109hrnIarovCE naD ParnoU....... 109hronEC ..................................................110hUmEnn .............................................. 112

CHChynorany .........................................113

IILAVA ........................................................113

IPESk PrEDmoSTIE......................... 114

Ia ..............................................................115

JjaraB.....................................................115jnovCE .................................................116

Kkaln naD hronom......................117kamEnICa naD hronom............. 118kamEnn moST .................................119

kEmarok .............................................119kak ..........................................................119klUknava ..............................................120kokava naD rImavICoU.............. 120kolrovo .............................................121

komrno ..............................................124komoa .................................................129koICE......................................................130kozElnk ................................................ 132krov PrI SEnCI...........................132kraovany ...........................................133krSno naD kySUCoU.................. 134krEmnICa ..............................................136krUPIna ..................................................137kvaany ................................................ 138kySak .......................................................138kySUCk nov mESTo.................... 139

LlElES .........................................................139lEoPolDov ...........................................140lETanovCE ............................................141lEvoa ....................................................142lICInCE ....................................................142lIPTovSk hrDok.......................... 143lokCa ......................................................144

UBoCha.............................................144

MmargECany .........................................145maTEjovCE............................................146mEDvEov ............................................146mEngUSovCE ......................................147mnany ................................................ 147moDr kamE.................................... 148moravSk Sv. jn ............................149myjava ...................................................149


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NnITra ........................................................151nITrIanSkE Pravno........................ 153nIn kamEnICa ...............................154nov vES naD ITavoU................ 154

nov mESTo naD vhom........... 155nov zmky ........................................157

OoBIovCE ............................................... 157onDrEj naD hronom................... 158oravSk PoDzmok...................... 158

PPalCmanSk maa......................... 159PaPraD ...................................................160ParChovany .......................................161ParTIznSka UPa........................ 162PavlovCE ..............................................162PIEany.................................................163PlavE .....................................................166PoDBIEl ...................................................167PoDlIPovEC ..........................................167PoDTUrE .............................................168Polkanov ..........................................170PolTr ....................................................170PoPraD ...................................................171PorIaDIE .................................................171PovaSk BySTrICa ......................... 172PrEov ....................................................177

PChov ..................................................178

RrkoSk Baa .................................181rUn .......................................................182rUomBErok ......................................183

SSalka .......................................................185

SErE .......................................................186SrnIk .......................................................188SkalIT ....................................................189SlovEnSk UPa .............................190SlovEnSk raj................................... 191

Smolnk .................................................194SoBTka ................................................194SoBlahov .............................................195SPISk SoBoTa .................................195SPISk PoDhraDIE ..........................196SPISk hrhov ................................... 197STankovany .......................................198STar UBova .................................200STar voDa .........................................201STraTEn ............................................... 201STrEno .................................................202STUPava .................................................204SUCh naD ParnoU....................... 205SvErEPEC ................................................206SvIDnk ...................................................207SvrInovEC .........................................208SzoB (maarSko).............................209

ahy .........................................................210aa .......................................................... 212amorn ................................................213ElPICE.....................................................214TEFanov naD oravoU............... 215TrBa .......................................................216

TrBSk PlESo.....................................218TUrECk CESTa .................................218Trovo ................................................219

TTElgrT ..................................................224TISovEC ...................................................225TrvnICa ............................................... 227TrEnIanSkE TEPlICE...................... 227

TrEnn ..................................................228TrEn-rro ......................................232Trnava ...................................................234TUrany ...................................................235

UUanka ...................................................236

VvhovCE ................................................ 237valaSk .................................................238vEk lomnICa .................................. 239vEk BIErovCE.................................. 240vga ......................................................240vInICa ......................................................241vInIky ....................................................242vojany....................................................242voznICa ................................................. 243vranov naD ToPoU..................... 244vrBov ....................................................244vrTky ....................................................245vySok TaTry ......................................245

Zza voDoU .............................................246zElEnICE .................................................247zvolEn ....................................................247

arnovICa ...........................................249

DIar ........................................................250Iar naD hronom.......................... 252IlIna .......................................................253

workS CITED........................................257

ovErvIEw oF SomE ProFESSIonalComPanIES anD InSTITUTIonS InThE Slovak rEPUBlIC...................... 259


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PREFACE

To begin with, a basic question has tobe asked: What actually is a bridge?

In professional books, we can findmany definitions which are correctfrom the technical point of view;however, they often lack their actualpurpose. Although bridges are mainlyengineering structures, we cannotforget their social and architecturalfunction, since they significantlycontribute to social, cultural andenvironmental development and thismakes their definition anything else

but simple.

Bres re sbs tere

Bridges have forever served not onlyas functional structures, but also asthe symbols of their age, mirroringa particular nations advanced levelof culture and technology. Thesurroundings in which bridges were

created influenced their shapes,structural materials or the detailswhich form their overall appearance.As a result, in many cases wecan see at a glance the originsof a bridge. For example, a greatdifference is to be seen betweenthe bridges built in a relativelysteady period at the end of the 19thcentury, when culture was at itspeak, and the bridges built in the

constructive era of socialism. Withthe changing times, the bridgesalso changed. A good example isthe presence of the statue of theSaint John of Nepomuk (the patronsaint and the protector of bridges).It is present on nearly all the largerbridges built before World War I,but it is very rare on the newerones. Human thinking has changedin the course of time and so haschanged its feeling towards bridgestructures. Another example could

be the complete disappearanceof some minor aesthetical detailson the handrails of bridges, or thedisappearance of decorative columnsand other decorative accessories afterthe Second World War. Although asa result bridges have lost somethingof their value, by their appearancethey still perfectly represent the erain which they were built. However,in my opinion, a bridge without theperfection of details does not havea soul.

Bres rrr te ee wee

In building a bridge, there is muchmore than just its aesthetics. Forthis reason, by observing thedevelopment of bridge structures, thedevelopment of human knowledge

in the construction field may alsobe observed. A bridge is mostlya functional structure, so there hasalways been an effort to build it ascheaply as possible, but at the sametime to achieve adequate safety andreliability. This requirement may befulfilled only by the extension andappliance of knowledge in the theoryof structures and by implementingthe results of research into the fieldof construction technologies andmaterials. This role belongs mainly

to universities, which should applythese results into practical use.Without universities, progress wouldsimply stop at some point. The bookdescribes several bridges representingmilestones in bridge construction,from which universities have neverbeen absent. Science and bridgeconstruction have always beenmoving forward side by side.

Bres re struts ttuee str

It was bridge construction thathelped the expansion of regions andterritories by allowing the exchangeof goods. Developed countries werecharacteristic of their advancedinfrastructure and their furtherexpansion was possible only throughits improvement. In some places,

MSc. Peter Paulk, PhD

The author of the book


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bridge building often meant theregions rapid growth and thus bridgesbecame one of the most importantstructures of mankind. However,history is written also by wars, inwhich bridges played a big part. Theywere built, protected and destroyedfor the purpose of military campaigns.During the wars, they had a key role,since they served as the frontierbetween the fighting armies andso many of them made their markin history. Wars also created space

and pressure on the developmentof new technologies, which wouldhave enabled reconstruction of thedestroyed routes. During and aftera war, new technologies emerged,which have been used ever since.Therefore, it is clear that bridges donot only have their present form andshape, but also their history. Exactlyfor this reason it would be short-sighted to describe only their presentstate without history and historicalfactors which affected them directly or

indirectly. In almost all descriptions ofthe bridges I have tried to give moredetails about the historical backgroundof their construction and the mostimportant events which happened tothem or in their near surroundings;because bridges played a big part inthe history of nations.The bridges in this book are arrangedin an alphabetical order accordingto the nearest town or village. The

website www.mostynaslovensku.sk is a fundamental companion tothe book, where you can find all thebridges on a clearly arranged map ofSlovakia. More explicit informationand their co-ordinates are at yourdisposal in the book. Here you canfind different kinds of bridges builtby different technologies in differenttimes, so it should serve as aninspiration for bridge constructors.They must realize, that if wedo not construct bridges to

the liking of the majority(maybe also thanks tosome details), ourwork will never beappreciated enough.Not even if wecreate structurallyideal masterpieces.This fact was alsoacknowledged byone of the mostfamous bridgeconstructors of the

20th century Othmar H.Ammann by a statementIts a crime to build anugly bridge.

The insignia of the Slovak University of Technology from the year1941 (The Department of Civil Engineering was one of the firstdepartments of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava)


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The design and the buildingof bridges are difficult tasks,

during which mainly the issues ofstructural design and the demandsof those involved must be taken intoconsideration and to which the wholeconcept of a bridge must be adapted.A technically well-designed bridgeshould at the same time fulfil alsosome aesthetic criteria. For some civilengineering structures, the majorrole may be played by a graduatewith architectural education. This is,

however, more an exception thana rule. One of the most famouscontemporary architects in Europe Santiago Calatrava, also realized this.After having finished his studies of artin France and architecture in Valencia,he completed his education bya doctorate in structural engineering atone of the best technical universities inEurope ETH Zurich. It is questionableto what extent Santiago is an architector an engineer. Regarding his studies,he achieved the highest degree

in structural engineering. SantiagoCalatrava is a good example for thosealumni of architecture studies whointend to also design civil engineeringstructures such as bridges.

Bres ter strutrs eeers

Technical competence of a nationis defined by the level of its civilengineering structures. The insightto the remote past also shows us

how great importance was attachedto bridge building. After all, PontifexMaximus, the chief bridge constructorin the days of the Roman Empire, isa part of the Popes titles, althoughin this case it is rather the case ofsome symbolic bridges between theGod and humans. Engineers spendlittle time promoting their work. Theamount of information about theiractivity which appears in public issmall and thus investment in theirown promotion and self-publicizing

should be one of the main tasksof their professional organizations.Engineers should promote themselvesmore, mainly because the fact thatthe authorship of their structures isoften attributed to architects. Suchinformation is, however, often quitemisinterpreted (by the public). Itinvolves bridges, tunnels, dams andother civil engineering structures.The author who designs the structureand who bears the responsibility inthe event of structural collapse is the

engineer. In Slovakia as well as inother countries, it is the author of thearchitectural layout who is mentionedas the author of the structure and incases when the architectural layout ismade by a civil engineer, he or she isoften described as the architect of thestructure, even though his educationand the scope of his work is structuralengineering. In this event, the readermistakenly connects the architect withthe studies of architecture. The authors

of the worlds most famous bridgesare often also referred to as architects,even though they were structuraldesigners educated in technicaluniversities. A good example is thatof Millau Viaduct, the worlds highestbridge extending over the valley in theFrench region of Millau at an altitudeof 270 metres. It was completed inDecember 2004. Although, the Britisharchitect Sir Norman Foster is oftenconsidered to be its author, the maincreator of the idea is Michel Virlogeux,

structural designer and bridgespecialist, who is also often mentionedas an architect. Foster, in an interviewregarding who had the major role inthe bridge design, said: Bres rest eeer prjets. Tts te t spet. We (tertets) t re te eeerst eet ur ss, but we repert wt te rt

te pssbe suts. (Interview forthe NCE magazine; December 2004.)

A similar example from Slovakia isthe SNP Bridge in Bratislava. Fewpeople know that it was to be theworlds longest cable-stayed bridge.Unfortunately, before it was finished in1972, three bridges from other countrieshad overtaken it and so in its days itwas only the fourth biggest bridgein this category with a span of 303metres. However it was maintainingits leadership in the subcategory ofcable-stayed bridges with only one

PREFACE

Prof. MSc. Dr. Vladimr Benko, PhD.

Head of the Slovak Chamber of Civil Engineers


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plane of stays. It is undoubtedly uniquealso for its restaurant placed on thetop of an 85 metre high pylon whichis still admired by foreign visitors.The author of the bridges structuraldesign, who had a leading role duringthe planning, is Professor Arpd Tesrfrom the Department of Steel andTimber Structures of the Faculty of CivilEngineering of the Slovak University ofTechnology in Bratislava. Even thoughProfessor Tesr was cooperating withsome architects during the design of the

bridge, it would be a mistake to accreditthis bridge to someone else withoutmentioning his name.

Uqueess te bres S

We cannot say that Slovak bridgeconstructors avoided innovation inprojects. The elevated highway inPovask Bystrica serves as evidence.It is the first highway bridge inSlovakia made of concrete, whosesuperstructure follows the entirehighway profile. This unusual concept

resulted from the requirement to affectthe city area as little as possible. Withits length of 969 metres it is also thelongest continuous section in Slovakia.It is quite a bold concept even forEuropean conditions. Another similarcase is that of the Apollo Bridge inBratislava. It became famous for itsconstruction method as its main span(weighting 5 200 tons) was swungacross the river Danube into its finalposition. Thanks to this technology

of construction it was nominated inthe Opal Awards 2006 in the USA,in which it stood its ground amonggreat competition of much biggerstructures and it was placed amongthe first 5 structures which receivedawards. Although we tried to pushboundaries, both examples had goodconclusions. So it is not true that Slovakstructural designers lack courage. Afterall, the SNP Bridge in Bratislava is stillbeing used as a teaching example todemonstrate engineering skills.

Few people know that the LafranconiBridge built by the free cantilevercast-in-situ method, also belongsamong the worlds rarities. Its concretecantilever is among the longest in theworld. Had another such cantileverbeen done, as it was originallyintended, it would still be among thetop ten bridges of its kind.

Engineers and their technicalintelligence must make themselves

visible in society. Peter Paulk, theauthor of the book Bridges in Slovakia,not only delights civil engineers, but hewould also delight the constructor ofthe century (in Slovakia) professor PeterDaniovi, who at the age of 104 yearsin one interview for the media said: Itmakes me sad that our technical andmost of all our engineering intelligenceshows itself so little, that it is hardlyheard, although it is a thousand timesmore numerous as we were in our

beginnings before the war. There werefew of us, after all, who founded thefirst Slovak University of Technology.After the Velvet Revolution, many ofus expected greater acknowledgementand appreciation from society for themental work in technical fields. Fewthings have changed after the firstgeneration and we see that the validityof professor Daniovis opinion persists.It is us, the engineers, who have to letthe world hear from us also when wesucceed in our work and it serves society

without any problems. It is a pity thatthe media get interested in us only inthe event of some emergencies andaccidents. The publication of the Bridgesin Slovakia did not happen easily; thereis the authors hard work behind it.We discussed the first ideas leading toits birth with the author back in 2010and I am already looking forward tothe next books about bridges by PeterPaulk, which will definitely be amongthe publications contributing to thevisualization of several generations of

technical intelligence in Slovakia.

There are so many engineering structuresin Slovakia such as dams, waterstructures, tunnels, roads, highways,railways, cableways, reservoirs,chimneys, cooling towers, power stationsand so on, that it would be possible topublish many similar publications. Otheryoung enthusiastic engineers have to befound, who will surely receive our similarsupport.


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Ihave always been fascinated bybridges and I have always admiredtheir magnificence and the mastery oftheir creators. To me, they are morethan just simple structures. They aresymbols, representatives of the history,

art and progress of civilizations. Thisled me to carry on with my studies atthe Slovak University of Technology inBratislava where I chose the facultyof Civil Engineering and I began tostudy bridge building. Thanks tothe construction of the Apollo Bridge,on which I had the opportunity towork and spend several months,my affinity with bridge structuresbecame even more profound. AfterI had finished my studies, I started towork in the company Doprastav and

for over a year I was working on theconstruction of the bridge built byincremental launching technology intrba. There I met my wife. Therefore,bridges became more than just workfor me, they became my hobby andto a degree also my destiny. AlthoughI have always been fascinated by themand I have been collecting postcardswith historic bridges for several years,I had never imagined that one dayI would publish a book about bridges.

The breaking point was the journeyto the Hradec Kralovs conference inNovember 2010, during which I wastalking with Professor Benko abouthow Slovak bridges are somewhat inthe background and that they are notsocially appreciated enough. We agreedthat one of the major reasons could bethat common people do not have eventhe slightest idea how many uniquebridges exist in Slovakia becausethere is no such a source. That is how

I originated the idea to write a book forthe general public with the selection ofsome representative bridge structures.Although I already had quite a goodoverview of the most interestingbridges in Slovakia at those times,

a difficult period of collecting data andclues followed. Older books from the80s, some newer brochures publishedin the Czech Republic by assoc. prof.D. Jozef and a vast amount of archivematerial helped me as a start. TheInternet was also of considerable helpby means of which I went through allthe main railways, roads and waterroutes. This arduous, but on the otherhand exciting work lasted severalweeks. I outlined an electronic map andI planned the journeys of photography

expeditions. This map is currentlyavailable on www.mostynaslovensku.sk. The photographing of the bridgesfollowed, during which I literally criss-crossed the whole of Slovakia and witha laser device I measured almost everysingle stone bridge I saw and it has tobe said that in some cases there weregreat differences between the data inprevious books and the reality. Takingpictures and measuring took me severaltens of weekends. Naturally, therewere times when I was not satisfied

with the photograph or I discoveredanother bridge near to where I hadbeen before, so there are some placeswhich I visited more than 3 times.I visited Bratislava airports lightingbridge the most often of any; I returned7 times until I was finally content withthe photo.

Many bridges were located in aninaccessible terrain so I often had toclimb steep slopes, wade through

swamps, and walk through 2 metrehigh nettles and so on. There were alsoseveral times when dogs from a chaletor from a nearby village chased me (forexample when I was passing by thesettlement of Letanovce). I even had

to creep through fences or trick a guardto reach some bridges. This happenedwith a bridge in the area of Hali manorhouse, which was strictly guardedduring the reconstruction. However,before the guard pulled himselftogether I had already made somesnaps. The longest expedition was thatto the heart of the Slovak Paradise,into the part Oblazy, into which I waswalking for 7 hours only to makea single photo. Moreover, I became lostand since I had not brought any water,

I had to drink directly from the streamin the forest. I will also never forget thetruck drivers who, in the night, werelooking after my motorbike near theUkrainian borders, or my trek throughthe Hornd Canyon for which I only hadlimited time. I discovered how to getchilled to the bone when I was passingthrough Dobin and Telgrt at 6 oclocka.m. when the temperature was around5C and I was wearing motorbikeclothes adjusted to the temperaturearound 25C. After that I was glad to

welcome the sun beating down on themountain side and the blood began tocirculate in my chilled hands again. Themotorbike was very useful; it could beparked almost everywhere and therewere also some routes impossible topass by car. A disadvantage was thedependence on weather. Because ofthis I spent several hours in a localpub or in an abandoned bus shelterwaiting until the rain stopped. I wasoften photographing on the way to my

THE BOOKS FORMATION


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parents-in-law who live in trba andso a 3.5 hours journey was prolongedto 6 or 7 hours. My wife tolerated itonly by strong self-control. I had betterskip the story about our romantictrip to the region of Orava on which

I spent most of the time measuringand taking pictures. On my journeysI mostly followed the satellite navigatorwhich, however, often brought me tounused roads. Until I realized the roadwas getting worse and worse, it wastoo late to return. In this way I crosseda closed, completely destroyed roadnear Ul, where I was lucky to getaway with it safe and sound. The mostdangerous stretch of road where thenavigator took me was a passagethrough an abandoned tunnel near

Margecany. At the beginning it seemedto be fine, but after more or less 200metres it became pitched dark withapproximately 20 centimetres of mud.Although my motorbikes light guidedme through the dark, had there beenany log or a rock hidden in the mud,I would have crashed. There used tobe light at the end of the tunnel andfortunately so it was, with the onlydifference that I ended up in a forestinstead of a road. Returning to thetunnel was out of the question so

I rode approximately 20 kilometresthrough the forest, in which I met somesurprised mountain bikers. After suchexpeditions I was really fed up with mymotorbike, but as another weekendcame, I sat on it again.

Towards the end of the autumn 2011I had most of my material ready andI began writing the book. Long eveningsfollowed during which I was sometimeswriting till late at night. Searching

for missing information and writinge-mails to the municipal offices andinstitutions was a necessary part ofthis phase. Unfortunately, it was oftenthe self-governments in many citiesand most of all in villages that werevery reluctant to provide information.However, there were also some whichwere very helpful in providing meall the requested information (forexample in Star ubova, Ruomberok

or Liptovsk Hrdok). A visit to theexhibition of a photographer PeterGyukics, who applied himself tophotographing the Danubes bridges,was a significant encouragement in mywork. I met there MSc Samuel Jelnekfrom the Slovak Road Administrationto whom I happened to mention thatI was preparing such a book. He gladlyprovided me the information I lackedand his great enthusiasm in this sphereinspired me to even greater activity.

In May 2012 the book was at about90% completion. When I would havethought that the most difficult partwas over, a question of financingcame up. To obtain enough financialresources for its publication was moredifficult than I had expected. The crisisdominating the construction industrycaused many companies simply not tobe able to afford additional expenses.In this phase a great deal of helpcame from Professor Jaroslav Halvonk

with whom we visited the majorengineering companies operatingin Slovakia in the field of bridgedesign. Even in spite of the crisis weexperienced a very helpful approachand big willingness to help to publishthis book. On the other hand, it wasmore difficult with the companiesfrom the field of bridge construction,even though they are involved withmuch higher sums of money than the

designing offices. Their willingness,except for a few cases, was scarce.At the end enough finances werecollected and the first work on bookediting began. At this point I would liketo express my gratitude to the JAGApublishing house for their professionalapproach. You are reading these linesalso thanks to them. I hope you likethis book and I strongly believe that itwill provide you with much interestinginformation and that bridges will winyour heart not only by their present

appearance, but also by their history,because bridges do not only have theirstructure, but also their destiny andsoul. They mirror the destinies andthe culture of nations. Many of themretain memories of our forefathers,who ceased to exist long time ago,and many bridges are their lastmemoirs. And if li fe is a way, thenlet us not forget that a way is usuallyonly a connecting line between twobridges.


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Since this book is also written for those who

may not be familiar with bridge building,

we start with the bridge terminology

used further in this book. As with any

other branch of study, bridge building has

its professional expressions used for the

descriptions of bridges. The objective of the

opening pages is to introduce at least the

most frequent technical terms utilized in

the main part of the book informing about

the individual bridges in Slovakia. It should

be noted, that if the clear span of a bridge

structure is less than 2 metres, we do not

call it a bridge, but a culvert.

BASIC DIVISIONAND BRIDGETERMINOLOGY


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BRIDGES CAN BE GENERALLY

DIVIDED INTO THESE BASIC

CATEGORIES:

ACCORDING TO THEIR PURPOSE:

Railway bridges Road and highway bridges Pedestrian bridges Industrial bridges (pipe and conveyor) Aqueducts Ecoduct bridges (serve for example as passage

above highways for wild animals)

ACCORDING TO

THE MATERIAL USED

Stone bridges Timber bridges Brick bridges Cast iron bridges Steel bridges Bridges made of aluminium alloys

Concrete and reinforced concrete bridges Composite bridges (for example if thegirder of the bridge is made by a com-bination of steel and concrete structuralelements,)

ACCORDING TO THEIR

ESTIMATED LIFE

Temporary bridges, which are furtherdivided into:

Short-lasting (built for a maximumof 5 years)

Long-lasting (built for more than5 years)

Permanent bridges (planned durabilityis at least 100 years)

ACCORDING TO THE SHAPE

of the cross-section

Slab bridge Girder bridge Box-girder bridge

Slab bridge girder bridge box-girder bridge


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CONCRETE BRIDGES ARE FURTHER DIVIDED ACCORDING TO THE DEGREE

OF REINFORCEMENT Bridges of plain concrete (without steel reinforcement, or when the degree of reinforcement

is smaller than the so called minimum amount of reinforcement) Reinforced concrete bridges (the degree of reinforcement exceeds the minimum amount of

reinforcement the reinforcement contributes to the load-bearing capacity of the bridge) Prestressed concrete bridges (in these bridges so called pre-stressing tendons are used, which

are anchored after having been stretched and so they apply compression force, by which theload bearing capacity of the concrete structure is significantly improved. These tendons aremostly placed inside the bridge so they are not visible from the outside)

Prestressed concrete bridge

17

UPLIFT FORCES

PRESTRESSINGTENDONS

Basic parts of the cable-stayed bridge

PIER

STAYS

PYLON

TERMINOLOGY OF THE BASIC PARTS OF THE BRIDGE IN LONGITUDINAL SECTI ON

Tt bide etSupestuctue et

Sp Sp

appcsb

Expsiit

oiitei

abutet

Supestuctue

B setrequiedcece Pie

Pies

heitfte

bide

Supe-

stuctue

dept

Bc

Ste wi

TERMINOLOGY OF THE BASIC PARTS OF THE BRIDGE IN CROSS SECTION

Ppet

keb

axisrii

gud iDi iet

Sufci

axis f die

Bei

Dec e

Beipit

Pie

Fti

Pie

SUPERSTRUCTURE

SUBSTRUCTURE

BRIDGEACCESSORIES

BRIDGEDECK

MAINGIRDER


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From a wider perspective, a fallen treealong which we cross to the other sideof a stream can also be considereda beam bridge. Although its structuralbehaviour and the more precisecalculations of its bearing capacity

were described only around the 18thcentury, the skill and the experienceof craftsmen had enabled them toreliably build this kind of bridge oversome obstacles many centuries earlier.Naturally, the theory of these bridgesis nowadays so sophisticated that wecan bridge over such distances of whichour ancestors had not even dreamed.And this is done without the worrywhether it would carry the given load.Every bridge has to sustain its selfweight and also the so called live

loads; while mostly the self weightof the structure starts to be a problemwith bigger spans and every type ofbridge balances it specifically. Fromthis point of view, the beam bridge isthe least suitable. The basic principleof its structural behaviour lies in thecreation of compression and tensionzones caused by the bending near theupper and the bottom surface, as it isdemonstrated in the picture.It can be logically concluded, that thelarger and deeper are the beams of

a bridge, the bigger load they may

carry. However, as I already mentioned,the problem is the self weightincreasing by the bigger cross sectionof the beams. Later, as structuresevolved, it has been discovered, that ifrectangular cross sections are not used,

but the mass instead is concentratedto the upper and the bottom surface,for example a hollow cross-section oran I shape, the load carrying capacitywill remain the same (in fact it willslightly decrease in comparison withthe rectangular cross section), but onthe other hand its own weight willsignificantly decrease and with thesame depth the girder will be ableto carry a bigger load or the bridgecould have a longer span. Moreover,for a particular span a girder with

rectangular cross-section, would not beeven able to carry its self weight, butmade as a hollow cross-section it canalso carry some additional load.This is the reason why nearly all girderbridges are designed as hollow cross-sections (they are also called box-girder sections), eventually as I and Tshape profiles. The reinforced concretebeam bridge with the longest span inthe Slovak Republic is the LafranconiBridge (173 metres, with a cantilever120 metres long). The beam bridge

with the longest span in the world isthe Shibanpo Bridge built in 2006 inChina. Its span is 330 metres and itsconcrete cantilever is 111 metres long,which is 9 metres less than that of theLafranconi Bridge (a span of 330 metreswas achieved by inserting a steel span108 metres long which was set on twoneighbouring cantilevers 111 metreslong).

TYPES AND BASIC STRUCTURAL

BEHAVIOUR OF BRIDGES

I -shaped girder

Box girder

BEAM BRIDGES

Compression and tension zone in thegirder bridge.

cpessi

tesi

The oldest and at the same time the most widespread type of bridges is the socalled beam bridge (most of the elevated highways and flyovers).

If the mass in the crosssection of the beam isconcentrated at the flangesits bending capacityincreases

TYPES AND BASIC STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF BRIDGES


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Another milestone in bridgebuilding was the discovery of thetruss.

There are many types of trusses,the principle is, however,still similar to that of the beambridges. In bridges with a singlespan, the top chord is stressed bycompression and the bottom bytensile force (the intermediatemembers are stressed either by

compression or by tensile force).Since the walls are also significantlylightened, a further reduction ofthe self weight is achieved. Themost famous Slovak truss bridgesare the Old Bridge (Star most) andthe Port Bridge (Prstavn most) inBratislava with a main span lengthof 205 metres. The truss bridgewith the longest span in the worldis the Quebec Bridge in Canada witha main span length of 549 metres.

TRUSSBRIDGES

This type of bridge is among theoldest ones mainly because ofthe fact that a well-designedarch is mainly stressed only bycompression.

This kind of load transfer enabledarches to bridge over greaterdistances with a material with lowtensile strength, as for example brickor stone. For a structure of this type,the compression forces arising from

a heavy load at the arch top can betransferred by the masonry betweenthe single arches, thus ensuringsatisfactory stability of the structureeven in extreme cases.

Many of these bridges, especiallyfrom the days of the Roman Empire,have been preserved till moderntimes. The structural action of anarch bridge is more efficient thanthat of a beam bridge, which allowsspanning longer distances. The

worlds biggest arch bridge is theChaotianmen Bridge built in Chinawhich has a span 552 metres long;the arch itself is configured as a truss.For example, the maximum span ofthe Apollo Bridge is 231 metres, butit has a bowstring arch (the maingirders have the function to act as tiesfor the arches). In Slovakia, the stonebridge with the longest clear span ofits arch (16.2 m) is in Gelnica.

ARCHBRIDGES

The basic structural behaviour of cable-stayed bridges may be best described bythe diagram, where it can be seen that,for example, the pylon and the deck aresubjected mainly to compression andthe stay cables to tension forces (thepylon and the deck are at the sametime subjected to bending moment).

In this case the load is transferred fromthe deck to the stays and subsequentlythrough the pylon and pier into the

ground. The arrangement of the staysmay vary, while each is not necessarilystructurally equally effective. Lesseffective solutions may be chosen forarchitectural and construction reasons(a structurally more effective systemmay be much more difficult to construct).The most efficient is a symmetricalsystem with stays anchored as closeto the top of the pylon as possible(various inclined pylons and asymmetriccables are structurally less effective butcould be aesthetically more pleasant).

Cable-stayed bridges with a low pylon,compared to the span, are calledextradosed bridges. The most well-knowncable-stayed bridge in Slovakia is the SNPBridge in Bratislava, which was in thetime of its construction (1972) uniquein the world with the main span being303 metres. At present, the cable-stayedbridge with the longest span in the worldis the Russian bridge Russky, with a mainspan of 1,104 metres. The bridge wascompleted in 2012.

Cable-StayedBRIDGES

d

tesi

cpessi cpessi



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Suspension bridge

Hybrid structural system: combination of the suspension and the cable-stayed system

SUSPENSIONBRIDGESIt is believed that the first suspensionbridges were built around the year300 BC in China (however, thesewere only simple pedestrian bridges

suspended by natural ropes).

Present-day modern suspensionsystems achieve spans up to 2kilometres. The load from the deck istransferred to the hangers and theninto the main cables, which transfera part of the load into the towers anda part of it into the ground throughmassive anchorage blocks. Finally,the load, through the towers and theanchorage blocks, reaches the ground.In Slovakia, suspension systems have

only been used for pedestrian bridgesor in some cases for pipeline bridges.There has been no road suspensionbridge built so far in our country. Thelongest suspension bridge in Slovakiais the pipeline bridge in the port ofBratislava, with a span reaching 156metres. The bridge with the longestspan in the world is the Japanese bridgeAkashi Kaiko, a span of which reaches1,991 metres. However, currently thebuilding of a suspension bridge betweenItaly and Sicily is planned the Messina

Bridge, which would have an incrediblespan of 3 300 metres.

HYBRID AND OTHER SYSTEMSMany bridges are built with so called hybrid structural systems, which could bedescribed as a combination of the systems mentioned before, for example thatof suspension and cable-stayed systems or of arched and truss systems.

The most well-known hybridstructural system is to be foundin the USA the Brooklyn Bridge. In

Slovakia, the foot-bridge in Pieany isan example of this kind.

Te tesi fce f icbe is tsfeed t teud b c bc

Te tesi fce f icbe is tsfeed t teud b c bc

es e ude tesies e ude tesi

i cbes eude tesi

tes e ude cpessi


The structural design of a bridge ismuch more complicated than onemight presume at first glance. Differentrandom loads combine to interact,which may change their position anddirection, they may act together or oneby one, cause resonance, oscillationand so on. In addition to the basic types

of strains from compression, tension orbending, twisting of the beams mustalso be considered. When we also addthe evaluation of local stresses, theevaluation of construction phases, timedependant phenomena (for exampleconcrete creep and shrinkage), and thegeotechnical design of the foundation,

even a simple bridge with a span lessthan 50 metres may have 200 or even300 pages of calculations and drawings.Such detailed structural analysisprovides quite good assurance that nounpredicted event will occur duringthe building of the bridge or during itsservice life.


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BASIC TECHNOLOGIES

OF BRIDGE BUILDING

CAST IN PLACE OR ASSEMBLYON FALSEWORK

This method is among those used

most frequently in bridge buildingand is mainly used for bridges withsmaller span and in places wherefalsework can be temporarily built.

It is ideal for bridges lying quite lowabove the ground and when theaccess to the area under the structuremay be temporarily restricted. Thistechnology is used for concrete, stone,brick or steel bridges. In the case ofconcrete bridges, casting is mostly donedirectly on the falsework, sometimes

however, only the precast concreteelements of the bridge are assembledtogether on the falsework (for examplewith precast segmental or girdertechnology).Within Slovakia, the bridge with thelongest span built on a supportingfalsework is the bridge across the riverVh in Komrno. The clear span of itsmain span is more than 112 metres. Itwas built in 1953.

A special kind of a formwork is the so

called movable scaffolding system,which is not placed directly on theterrain, but on the built bridge piers. Itis used for the construction of bridgeswith several spans, while the falseworkis gradually moved by means ofmechanical devices. This method ismost often used for concrete flyovers.In Slovakia, it was for example used

during the construction of the concrete

flyovers of the Port Bridge (Prstavnmost) and also during the constructionof bridges near Povask Bystrica andNitra.

Bridge false work

BASIC TECHNOLOGIES OF BRIDGE BUILDING

photo: SR MDC

Movable scaffolding system


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In Slovakia, it was first used during thebuilding of a bridge in Nov Mestonad Vhom finished in 1963. Eversince this bridge was completed thistechnology has been among those usedmost frequently in the field of concretebridges with spans between 60 and150 metres. The bridge is gradually

built from the piers, and mostly donesymmetrically to assure balance.Segments are cast with the help ofa form traveller anchored in the alreadyfinished section. Slovakias biggestbridge built with this technology is thebefore mentioned Lafranconi Bridge(span 173 metres). This technologywas also used in the building of thehighway bridge in Povask Bystricaand in many other important bridgestructures.

CAST IN PLACE FREE CANTILEVER METHOD

Free cantilever method

Bced ctiee

Stte seet

Ie fe

Btt fe

Cssbes

Ft d e tuss

mife

Ft d e cssis

hduic cides

ri bes

Ite f

Exte f

Btt f

As its name indicates, this technology is used in the building of concrete bridges.



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In this technology, the segmentsare progressively connected to thealready finished structure. Constructioncan proceed by balanced cantilevers orby a system of one-sided cantileverswith sufficient stabilising of thestructure during its construction bymeans of stays or temporary supports.

In the case of a concrete bridge,special falsework is mostly used,the so called overhead launchinggantry crane, which is able to moveon the finished part of the structure.The launching gantry is equipped

with a crane by which single precastsegments are lifted, transported andattached to the already finished partof the superstructure. In Slovakia thistechnology is most often used inconcrete highway bridge construction,but it has failed to be accepted inrailway engineering. The paradox is

that within Europe it was in Slovakiawhere the first precast segmentalconcrete bridges were built on railwaylines. These first segmental bridgeswere the bridges in Margecany andJaklovce built in the year 1966.

SEGMENTAL CANTILEVER METHOD

Overhead launching gantry crane (MD Doprastav)

abutet

20 000 x. 42 000

re suppt lEg

mi suppt lEg hist Ft suppt le

Fse

Stti seets

Steel truss bridge cantilever erection method

stee supp stee supp stee supp

The cantilever method is applied to concrete and also steel bridge construction.



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During the launching process, thereare slide bearings placed on eachpier on which the structure moves. Inthe case of a concrete bridge built byincremental launching technology, useis made of a so called steel launchingnose placed at the front of the

superstructure. It serves to lower thestresses in the superstructure during thelaunching (because the nose is muchlighter than the concrete superstructurewhich is being built). This technologyallows rapid construction; however, itmay be used only with bridges with

some specific geometric parameters. InSlovakia, this technology was used forthe first time in the year 2005 during thebuilding of a concrete bridge near trbavillage. Since that time, it has been usedduring the building of highway bridgesnear Povask Bystrica, Nitra, and Levoaand also during the building of the steel-concrete composite highway bridgesnear the village of Skalit.

INCREMENTAL LAUNCHING TECHNOLOGY

Launching nose

Csti bedluci se

Pui cs

vetic ectibes

abutetStee pe

Tep suppt

Incremental launching technology is used both in concrete and steel bridge building. Itsprinciple lies in constructing the bridge in one place, from which the completed part of thestructure is launched across and above the valley by the means of hydraulic jacks.



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Aproblem also arises as to whetherthe numbers of bridges are up-to-date, or if some data may be duplicated(for example, if the local authoritiesinclude the bridges on 3rdclass roadsin the category of bridges on localroads, which may already be included

in another category). Road bridgestatistical data are well processed andclearly documented by the SlovakRoad Administration available tothe public on the website. Bridges onrailways are registered by the SlovakRailways; however, the only publicallyavailable data is from the year 2001together with an up-to-date map ofrailway bridges (without mentioningthe overall count). Bridges on localroads and footbridges are registeredby the Statistical Office of the Slovak

Republic, the data of which are alsoavailable on their website. The numberof bridges listed by the Slovak RoadAdministration and the Statistical Officecorrespond almost exactly. The onlyinformation which I unfortunately didnot manage to find is the number ofpipeline bridges, which are probablyadministered by Transpetrol on theDruzba Pipeline and by the SPP (SlovakGas Industry) on gas pipelines. I alsodid not succeed in finding any officialnumbers on their websites.

In summary, there are approximately23 000 bridges in Slovakia excludingpipeline bridges. The overall combinedlength of the road and railway bridgesis 235 km. Since it is impossible tomention all the bridges, their photosand information, I chose those whichI find the most interesting.

NUMBER AND STATE OF BRIDGES

ON THE TERRITORY OF SLOVAKIA

roaD BrIDgES

BRIDGETYPE

STRUCTURAL MATERIALTOGETHER

quantity (pc) length (m) area (m2)

Tepbides

tibe 1 2 16stee 22 535 2 495

eifced ccete 1 5 34Temporary bridges 24 543 2 546

Peetbides

ste 222 891 6 740

ste-ccete 1 21 187stee 114 1 354 11 615stee, pte ide 124 2 246 22 232stee, tuss ide 14 1 503 12 950cpsite: stee-ccete 16 245 1 649pecst pestessed ccete 1 578 64 626 709 523pecst eifced ccete 1 920 14 373 140 441pestessed ccete 204 40 712 456 746pi ccete 235 1 063 9 234s 32 151 1 113eifced ccete 3 203 28 006 255 411te tei 7 760 8 519t specied 118 254 2 482

Permanent bridges 7 788 156 204 1 638 841Total 7 812 156 747 1 641 387

Slovak road administration, 2010

www.rail.sk, 2001

Statistical office of the Slovak Republic, 2009

raIlway BrIDgES

BrIDgES on loCal STrEETS anD roaDS

BRIDGES QUANTITYStee bides 504Ccete d s bides 1 781Total 2 285

REGION PERMANENT TEMPORARYBtis ei 221 1T ei 436 7Te ei 1 279 17nit ei 740 12ii ei 1 640 41Bs Bstic ei 1 807 59Pe ei 1 950 53

kice ei 1 071 19Total 9 144 209

Statistical office of the Slovak Republic, 2009

PEDESTrIan BrIDgESTotal 3 557

Since there are no nationwide bridge statistics in Slovakia, for this overview,information from several sources had to be collected.

NUMBER AND STATE OF BRID GES ON THE TERRITORY OF SLOVAKIA


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nUmBEr oF BrIDgES In SlovakIa BUIlT In a CErTaIn PErIoD

TEChnICal ConDITIon oF BrIDgES In SlovakIa

pefect

e d

good

stisfct

bd

e bd

i seius disepi

udeed

yEarS

3 000

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

n

UmBEroFBrIDgES

do

1800

1801

1850

1850

1900

1901

1920

1921

1940

1941

1960

1961

1980

1981

2000

p

2000

With the available informationabout the road and highwaybridges we are able to constructa graph indicating how manybridges have been built.The highest number of bridgesbuilt within a 10 year period wasbetween the years 1961 and1971. There were 1 681 bridges

built in Slovakia in this period.If the combined lengths insteadof the numbers were shown inthis graph, it would probably beslightly different, but this sufficesfor the general overview.

The graph about the conditionof the bridges, classified byexperts from the Slovak RoadAdministration, was constructedfrom the same database.

From this graph it can be seen thatmost of our bridges are presentlyin a good technical condition.

NUMBER AND STATE OF BRID GES ON THE TERRITORY OF SLOVAKIA


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A BRIEF COMMENT ABOUT THE INFLUENCE

OF WORLD WAR II ON BRIDGE BUILDING

Many bridges built in the periodbefore World War II in Czechoslovakiaranked among the most impressivestructures of their times.

Both Czechoslovak and the formerHungarian bridge building hadvery good reputations in that eraand many specialists from the field

of civil engineering were among theworlds best engineers of that time.However, the major part of theirmagnificent masterpieces, as if at onestroke, disappeared during the fewfinal months of World War II. This is thereason why alongside some bridges inthe book there are also some historicphotographs of their forerunners andfor almost every important railwaybridge, there is information about itsdestruction.The retreating Wermacht, trying to

slow down the advance of the RedArmy, destroyed or seriously damagedmore than 1,900 railway bridges and2,000 road bridges. These, in total3,900 bridges, at that time representedaround 70% of all the larger bridgestructures in Slovakia. The result wasthe complete paralysis of the functionof most bigger cities. There was hardlyany passable continuous railway lineremaining. The engineers and thespecialists faced a difficult task torestore the most important road and

railway routes needed to supply the

towns with coal and groceries in asshort time as possible. To build a bridgewhen there is enough time andfinances it is one thing, but to react inshort time in the conditions dominatingthe period immediately after the warwas much more difficult. The progressof renovation was mainly hamperedbecause of lack of building materials,tools, machines and qualified workers.A considerable complication wasrepresented also by the large amount

of unexploded charges and bombswhich the German armies had used fordestruction of the bridge structures. Thereconstruction of railway lines and roadswas mostly carried out using temporarytimber bridges built only by primitivemethods and human power. So calledreconstruction unions were formed tocoordinate the design and constructionworks. The Red Army was also ofconsiderable help whose priority was

the reconstruction of bridges neededfor the transport of military equipment.Within 3 years most of the importantroads and railways were passableagain. The temporary bridges werebuilt several metres from the destroyedbridges, so that the original bridgescould later be reconstructed. The era ofreplacement of the temporary bridgesby permanent structures lasted almostanother 10 years. However, the need tobuild fast had also some advantages. To

Czechoslovakia, it brought state-of-the-art methods of calculations and bridgeconstruction methods which increasedthe efficiency and reduced theconstruction time needed under difficultconditions. Prestressing technologybegan to be used on a large scale andnew bridge building technologies whichwere developed at those times havecontinued to be used, in their refinedforms, since then.

photo: SR MDC

photo: SR MDC

In the shortest time engineers and experts had torestore the most important sections of roads andrailway lines, which served to supply the cities.

A BRIEF COMMENT ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF WORLD WAR II ON BRIDGE BUILDING


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His statues date back to timeswhen lack of knowledge in bridgestructural analysis was substituted byreligious faith which left some splendidmasterpieces.Saint John of Nepomuks cult fully

developed approximately 300 yearsafter his death when the Churchcanonized him. His statues are to befound in the surroundings of almostevery older bridge, since peoplebelieved that he can protect pilgrimswandering across the bridge as wellas the structure itself from naturaldisasters or wars.There are still disputes whether itis a real or a made up personality.However, in general it was acceptedthat it is a real personality from history

John from the Pomuk born around theyear 1340. In 1389 he was named thegeneral vicar or archbishop of Prague,which was the second highest officein the administration of the RomanCatholic parish. Later he got into anargument with the Bohemian kingWenceslaus IV and there he met hisfate. The legend says he did not wantto reveal the seal of confession whichthe queen confided to him, so the kingtortured him. However, he did not getanywhere and John instead of revealing

the seal, chose death. His body wasthrown from Pragues Charles Bridgeinto the river Vltava and several metresaway it was washed up ashore, whereit was found by local fishermen.

The statues of St. John of Nepomuk arecharacteristic of some typical features priests clothes (a white rochetand a black biretta on the head); heusually holds a cross and a palm leafas a symbol of martyrdom and victory.

There often appears a rendering withstars around his head which probablysymbolizes the night sky, since it issaid that his body was thrown into theriver in the night and in the night bythe star light he was also found bythe fishermen. The number of stars -5 - symbolizes the 5 Latin letters tacui,which means I was silent.One of the most famous Slovak statuesof this saint was placed back in the 18thcentury on the so called flying bridge inBratislava. The statue is quite unique

St. John of Nepomuk holds the biretta inthe left hand and the right hand whichholds the cross is stretched. The statuewas later relocated to the boat bridgeof Carolina Augusta built in 1825 thatserved until the Franz Josephs bridgehas been finished in 1890. After theopening of the first permanent bridgein Bratislava, the statue was movedto the garden of Janko Krl on thePetralkas riverbank. Today it standsforgotten in the chapel of the churchcalled Kostol Povenia svtho

kra. Perhaps it would be suitable tomove it, after it has taken a rest, toone of Bratislavas bridges at least asthe symbol of the Danubes historicalbridges.

SAINT JOHN OF NEPOMUKTHE PATRON SAINT AND

THE PROTECTOR OF BRIDGES

Saint John of Nepomuk

One of the most famous statuesof St. John of Nepomuk in Slovakia

Photographs of Saint John of Nepomuks statue appear several times in thebook, so in the introduction some basic information about this saint must bementioned.

One of the most famous statues of St. John of Nepomukin Slovakia is the one, which was placed on the so calledflying bridge in Bratislava back in the 18-th century.

THE PATRON SAINT AND THE PROTECTOR OF BRIDGES


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THE TOP BRIDGES IN SLOVAKIA

RailWay BRidgES (according to www.rail.sk)ThE longEST BRidgE:

the viaduct near enkvice, 740 m longThE longEST cRoSS-BoRdER BRidgE:

the bridge between Slovakia and Hungary in Komrno, 510 m longThE longEST Road-Rail BRidgE:

the Port Bridge (Prstavn most) in Bratislava, together with the connected flyovers, 2 295 m longThE longEST BRick BRidgE:

the former Red Bridge (erven most) in Bratislava 215 metres long, nowadays part of the Marcheggviaduct near Devnska Nov Ves, approximately 185 metres long

ThE longEST cURvEd BRidgE:the Hanuany viaduct 389.9 m long

ThE longEST SPan:

road-rail Port Bridge (Prstavn most) in Bratislava with a span of 204.8 mThE BiggEST REinfoRcEd concRETE aRch BRidgE:

the Uany viaduct with a clear span of 55 m, which was at the time of its construction the biggeststructure of its kind in Eastern Europe

ThE longEST SPan of a langER TyPE BRidgE:the pair of bridges in ilina with a span of 112 m

ThE fiRST WholE-WEldEd STEEl BRidgE:the viaduct Pod Dielom from the year 1959

ThE fiRST RailWay BRidgE BUilT By ThE PREcaST SEgmEnTal TEchnology:the bridges in Margecany and Jakovce from the years 1964 to 1967, first rank also across Europe

ThE oldEST PRESERvEd BRidgES:the bridges within the railway Vienna Bratislava built in the years 1844-1848 (for example the

Marchegg viaduct)

Road and highWay BRidgESThE longEST BRidgE:

the viaduct near Povask Bystrica 2,081 m long, road-rail Port Bridge (Prstavn most) in Bratislava istogether with the flyovers 2,582 m long

ThE longEST BRidgE SPan:The SNP Bridge in Bratislava with a span of 303 m

ThE longEST SPan of an aRch BRidgE:The Apollo Bridge in Bratislava with a span of 231 m

ThE longEST SPan of a concRETE BRidgE:The Lafranconi Bridge in Bratislava with a span of 174 m

ThE oldEST PRESERvEd BRidgE:

probably the stone bridge in Dravce from the 13th centuryThE oldEST PRESERvEd REinfoRcEd concRETE BRidgE:

the bridge in Krsno nad Kysucou from the year 1891 (still in service)

STonE BRidgESThE BRidgE WiTh ThE BiggEST clEaR SPan of ThE aRch:

the bridge in Gelnica clear span of the arch is 16.2 mThE longEST Road BRidgE madE of STonE:

the bridge in Krsno nad Kysucou 53.6 m longThE longEST STonE BRidgE:

the bridge near to the manor house in Hol 54.6 m long

THE TOP BRIDGES IN SLOVAKIA


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MILESTONES OF BRIDGE

BUILDING IN SLOVAKIA

11Th cEnTURy:Stone arch bridge above the river Hron near the village Kamenn Most (not preserved)

13Th cEnTURy:The oldest preserved stone bridge near Dravce

1271:The oldest written entry about the bridging of the Danube River in Slovakia14Th cEnTURy:

Stone arch bridge in Lele15Th cEnTURy:

Carthusian stone arch bridge in the Slovak Paradise

17Th cEnTURy:Stone arch bridge near Poltr

1676:Flying bridge across the Danube in Bratislava1771:Viaduct between Devnska Nov Ves and Schlosshof1727:Stone arch bridge under the Michaels Gate in Bratislava the oldest preserved bridge in

Bratislava1780:Stone arch bridge in Btovce1808:Stone arch bridge in Spisk Hrhov1810:The oldest cast iron bridge in Slovakia and also of the former Hungarian Empire in Hronec1825:Boat bridge of Carolina Augusta in Bratislava1832:Timber bridge in Kluknava the oldest preserved covered timber road bridge in Slovakia1835:Stone bridge in Krsno nad Kysucou the longest road bridge in Slovakia made of stone1845:Bridges of the horse railway near Bho

1845:Stone ach bridge in Gelnica stone bridge with the biggest clear span of an arch inSlovakia

1848:The Marchegg viaduct -a part of it is presently the longest brick railway bridge in Slovakia1848:Red Bridge (erven most) in Bratislava original bridge was the longest brick railway

bridge in Slovakia1859:First railway bridges made of wrought iron in the former Hungarian Empire between the

towns of trovo and Szob1873:aqueduct in Bansk tiavnica1890:Bridge of Franz Joseph in Bratislava first permanent bridging of the Danube in Slovakia1891:The oldest preserved reinforced concrete bridge of Slovakia in Krsno nad Kysucou1892: Bridge in Nov Zmky, at that time probably the longest reinforced concrete bridge in

Slovakia (not preserved)1892: Elizabeths Bridge in Komrno the second permanent bridging of the Danube in Slovakia

1896: The Devils viaduct in Tisovec1903: Stone bridge in Krov pri Senci by many people considered to be the most beautiful

stone bridge in Slovakia1908: Reinforced concrete arch bridge in Kamenica nad Hronom at that time probably the

biggest of its kind in central Europe1910: Railway Friendship Bridge (Most Priatestva) in Komrno the longest cross-border railway

bridge in Slovakia1931: Reinforced concrete arch Bridge in Pieany the Krajinsk bridge1933: Reinforced concrete beam Bridge in Pieany the Colonnade bridge1933: The Telgrt viaduct among the railway bridges it is the oldest reinforced concrete bridge

in Slovakia

MILESTONES


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OVERVIEWOF BRIDGES

ACCORDINGTO THE TOWNSAND VILLAGES


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In 1836 the interest of the Hungariansquires to trade with the Habsburgmonarchy led to the foundation ofa stock company for the building ofthe first railway in the HungarianEmpire between Bratislava andTrnava. An important export productwas to be mainly wood from theareas in those times belonging to thePlffys lands.

The main engineer Hieronymus

was selected and his design wasapproved in January 1838 and in thespring of 1839 building was started by900 workers. Despite some difficultieswith the acquisition of land, therailways first line between Bratislavaand Sv Jur was finished in the year1840. One year later, in 1841, therailway was completed to beyondPezinok, to the forest Bahwal whichwas in the possession of the alreadymentioned Plffys. Because of many

problems with financing, but also dueto technical issues caused by swamps,the next part was not finished untilthe year 1846 when the first horse-drawn train was welcomed in Trnava.The merit for the railways completionto Trnava and its further extensionto Sere belongs mainly to countEsterhzy who had much land in theproximity of Sere and thus it wasin his interest to support this projectfinancially. There were 118 horses on

the horse-drawn railway taking turnsin working. The horse drawn railwayitself served until the year 1872 whenit was rebuilt as a steam railway.The first horse-drawn railway in theHungarian Empire contained alsoa unique bridge near the village ofBho with 9 arches, the middle 3of which had clear spans of 30 feetwhich represents approximately 9.2m. The other marginal arches hadclear spans of 12 feet, thus 3.6 m.

The bridge was built to the curve ofthe railway with the diameter of 810fathoms (approximately 1 500 m).The loads which the bridge had towithstand (as well as its self-weight)were represented by passenger andfreight cars, while one pair of horsesdrew 2 passenger or 5 freight cars.The weight of the passenger carstogether with the passengers was3.8 tons; however, fully loaded freightcars weighted 8 tons, which by pulling

5 cars made up the overall weight of40 tons. Bridge was rebuilt at 1940.

bho

photo: SR MDC

hiStoriC bridge on horSe-drawn

RAILWAY


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The viaduct situated near BanskBel is among the few monumentalconcrete arch bridges in Slovakia.

Five arches with clear spans of15.7 m. cross the valley on therailway line between Hronsk Dbravaand Bansk tiavnica at a height of20 m. The reinforced concrete viaduct

was built within the Youth Railway(Tra mldee) in 1949 as a part of therebuilding of the narrow gauge railwayfrom the year 1873.

BANSK BELTHE VIADUCT +48 28 00.30S+18 56 46.36VgPS


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BANSK BYSTRICABansk Bystrica became a town in1255 when King Belo IV granted herthe freedom of the town.

As with any other mining towns,Bansk Bystrica also hadfortification which was begun to bebuilt around the municipal office in

1465. This part of the fortificationwas finished at the beginning of the16thcentury; it included watchtowersand a fosse, part of which was alsoa drawbridge. The major part of thefortification has been destroyed.However, pictures of many old bridgeshave been preserved on old postcardsfrom the end of the 19thand the

beginning of the 20thcentury, forexample the photograph of the bridgeon Doln (Lower) Street (formerlyKossuth Lajos utca). Another bridgewhich appears on old paintings isthe bridge over the river Hron in theplace of the contemporary railwaystop Bansk Bystrica mesto (town).

The bridge is portrayed on illustrationsfrom the 18thcentury. The origins of St.John of Nepomuks chapel, which stil lstands at the site of the former bridge,could be dated back to the year 1766.In the year 1925 the timber bridgehad been replaced by a concrete archbridge, which was later rebuilt to itspresent-day shape.

HISTORIC ROAD BRIDGES

Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk

wooden engraving from the end of the18-th century

Bridge on the Doln street

Bridge across the river Hron in thecontemporary position of the railway stop


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BANSK BYSTRICA

THE KOSTIVARYVIADUCT

The viaduct built in the years 1936 1940 is situated on the railway linebetween Bansk Bystrica Dolntuba.

The bridge was destroyed in the year1945 during the withdrawal of theGerman troops, after which also theabutments and all the three piers wereruined. Its reconstruction started in thesame year which is indicated by thecommemorative inscription on one ofthe piers: Destroyed by war and rebuiltin 1945. Because of the uncertainty ofthose times openings were made in thepiers for placing explosives in the case ofnecessity to quickly destroy the viaductonce again. The bridge itself has four25 m long spans.

+48 45 44.45S

+19 08 33.65VgPS


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The bridge is named in dedication to thememory of the Slovak National Uprising;the three letters correspond to the Slovakequivalent Slovensk Nrodn Povstanie.The bridge with a span of 34 m is unique notonly thanks to the unconventional shape ofthe superstructure, but mainly because of the

extradosed tendons, which are elevated abovethe bridge deck.

It was the first bridge in Slovakia to usean extradosed solution. The increasedefficiency of the prestressing tendonsenabled the designer to reduce the depthof the bridge superstructure to less thana meter. For creating the texture of thepiers surface special formwork was usedwith a polyurethane pattern. The bridge wasbuilt in 2001 by the company Doprastav, andthe layout of the tendons was supplied by

the Projstar Company. To balance the forces,the engineers had to design a counterweightin the shorter span in the form of ballastanchored to the ground.

BANSK BYSTRICA

BLUE RAILWAY BRIDGE

THE SNP BRIDGE

The history of the railway in BanskBystrica began to be written in 1870by the first preparatory works onthe railway which was to connectZvolen and Bansk Bystrica. In 1873,

within the railway building, a timberfour span bridge was built witha maximum span of 14 m, which waslater in 1893 substituted by a steeltruss bridge with a span of 50 m (inthe picture below).

This bridge was destroyed twiceduring the war. For the first timein 1944, by the withdrawing rebelforces, and subsequently, after itsquick reconstruction, in 1945, by the

withdrawing German troops. Afterthe war it was replaced by a timbertemporary bridge serving until the year1951 when the new railway stationwas finished. For the planned railway

relocation and the intention to builda new railway station, near to the oldbridge (from the year 1892) a newsteel one was built with three spans.This bridge miraculously survived thewar without any harm. However, itdid not start to be fully used until thecompletion of the new railway station.Since then it served continuouslyfor 55 years until 2006 when it wassubstituted by a new steel arch bridgewith a span of 90 m.

+48 43 58.87S

+19 09 01.33VgPS

+48 44 02.47S

+19 09 30.82VgPS

mii

Existibutet

Et cs Bst

General Designer: DOPRAVOPROJEKT, a.s.,Bratislava, Slovakia


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BANSK TIAVNICA

The oldest written reference to the

town of Bansk tiavnica datesback to the year 1156, when it ismentioned as Terra Banensium theland of miners. In the year 1763 theMining Academy was founded here,being the first mining academy inEurope.

This unique bridge is connectedexactly with the mining industry,and is also a technical monument.The aqueduct was built in 1873 as

a part of a water system supplying the

mines with water from higher situatedreservoirs. The bridge is composed ofmassive piers, approximately 11 mhigh, supporting the steel waterchannel in which, 30 years ago, waterflowed being brought here fromthe Kolpachy lake. Along the waterchannel there were catwalks whichare now impassable. The span of theaqueduct is approximately 10 m. Itwas partially reconstructed a few yearsago.

+48 27 12.44S

+18 55 37.30VgPSTHE AQUEDUCT

Commemorative plaque

Former catwalks along the water channel


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BARDEJOV

In the past, there were many coveredtimber bridges in the surroundings

of Bardejov of which, unfortunately,none has been preserved. Timberbridges in Czechoslovakia wereresearched by Professor MSc PavelFerjenk, PhD and Associate ProfessorMSc Pavel Dutko, PhD from the Facultyof Civil Engineering of the SlovakUniversity of Technology in Bratislava.

In the year 1925, according to theirdata, there were 25 covered timberbridges in service in Slovakia, thelongest of which was the bridge with 7

spans above the river Topa in Bardejov its overall length was 78 m. Thebridge was built in 1870. Among others,2 rare historic photographs of the

bridge were preserved showing a lorryaccident on the bridge in 1940.

Another timber bridge near Bardejovmentioned in their study is the bridgeover the river Lukavica with thelength of 26 m. In 1872 tolls werecollected on this bridge, however, thiswas successfully avoided by the localcitizens by using the nearby ford. Thebridge was reportedly constructedin such a way as to be able to carrycarriages weighing more than 5 tons.In the surroundings of Bardejov therewere other covered timber bridges a toll bridge, 36 m long, which stood

across the stream Kamenec (Brenk)near its inflow to the river Topa, anda bridge under Calvary, which was 11 mlong.

HISTORIC TIMBER BRIDGES

The bridge was a part of the townsfortification and together with thebarbican and the former drawbridgethey protected the fortress from thesouthern side.

The bridge was originally wooden,but in 1770 it was rebuilt asa stone one with 5 arches. Later a firetrumpeters building and a store housewere built on it. For this reason partsof the arches were walled up. For

some time, the building served asa part of a hospital. Had the buildingbeen preserved, the bridge wouldbe classified among those unique inCentral Europe it would be the SlovakPonte Vecchio. The clear span of thearches is approximately 4.5 m andpresently they serve as the backgroundto summer spectacles (the stageis positioned in front of the bridgeand configured as needed for theorganization of various social events).

HORN BRNA(the Upper gate)

+49 17 24.41S

+21 16 30.51VgPS

Car accident in 1940 on the 7-span bridgecrossing the river Topa

Bridge across the Kamenec (Brenk)stream


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The Lower Gate protected Bardejovfrom the north-eastern side, thusclosing the route from Poland.

The drawbridge was substituted bya stone arch bridge in 1821. Its archeshave a clear span of 5 m. Behind thebarbican, there is another small stonearch bridge of the same clear span.

BARDEJOVDOLN BRNA(the lower gate)

The bridge is situated on the southernaccess to Bardejov in the local partcalled Bardejovsk Zbava, where itspans the access road to the familyhouses on the right side of the road.

This small stone bridge is unique

because of its chapel with the statueof St. John of Nepomuk set right abovethe middle of the arch. Although thestatues of St. John of Nepomuk are notrare on older bridges, I have not seen(in Slovakia) any other small bridge witha chapel placed actually on it. The clearspan of the arch is 2.65 m. The statueitself is inside, but the chapel also hashis sculpture on the back side, so thatboth ways are protected the old one aswell as the new one.

STONE BRIDGEWITH A CHAPEL

+49 15 32.81S

+21 15 04.20VgPS

+49 17 39.18S

+21 16 45.44VgPS


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BARDEJOV

+49 19 56.00S

+21 15 47.00VgPS

Bardejov was famous for its bathlocated roughly 5 km from the citycentre. It was first mentioned backin the year 1247 in Belo IVs charterin which the area of Bardejov is

delimited.

We can find quite early informationabout the existence of the mineralstreams mainly thanks to the fact thatthey were to be found near to thevery important royal route linking theMediterranean and the Baltic. At thebeginning of the 19thcentury this bath

was among the most popular in theformer Hungarian Empire. Among thepersonalities visiting them was forexample Austro-Hungarian emperorJoseph II, Mary Luis, Napoleons latter

wife or Russian tsar Alexander I. TheFootbridge of Friendship is built rightin the area of the bath. It is more than54 m long and the top of the toweris 11 m. high. As is common, we onlylearn from the information board thename of the architect, and the namesof the structural designer and theconstructor both remain unknown.

THE FOOTBRIDGE OF FRIENDSHIP(lvka priateStva)


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BTOVCE

The first mention of Btovce in

documents is from the 11thcenturyunder the name of Tribuna deForo Regine, or de Mercatu Reginewhich means the place of theQueens market. It is also said thatduring the Turkish invasion marketswith women took place here.

The baroque bridge from the year1780 crosses the river Sikenica withthree arches each having a clear spanof 3.6 m. The shape of the piers was

shaped for the river flow so that they

would create the smallest resistancepossible and so that they wouldbreak the potentially floating ice. Theinscription above the middle arch isinteresting, as well as the statue ofSt. John of Nepomuk at the end of thebridge. In my opinion this bridge is oneof the most beautiful stone bridges inSlovakia.

+48 17 22.78S

+18 44 54.95VgPS

STONE ARCH BRIDGE IN THE TOWN

Statue of St. John of Nepomuk


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Piers with cutwaters

Stone plaque above the middle-arch

This bridge with two arches is situatedon an important old commerce route,which in the 18thcentury, linked theSouthern parts of the Austro-HungarianEmpire with the mining regions in theneighbourhood of Bansk tiavnica.According to the inscription above one ofthe arches, the bridge was built in 1800.The clear span of the arches is 5.8 andtheir height is approximately 3.6 m.

STONE ARCHBRIDGE BEHINDTHE TOWN

+48 18 15.87S

+18 45 00.29VgPS


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THE BRIDGE ACROSSthe Stream ierna voda

photo: courtesy of http://hradceklis.webnode.com/

BERNOLKOVO

Bernolkovo, once called ekls orCseklsz, gained its present-day namein the year 1948 in honour of Anton

Bernolk, who worked here as a Catholicpriest between the years 1787 and1791. Anton Bernolk was one of theauthors of the first Slovak languagestandard.

However, the vil lage is mainly l inkedto the family of Esterhzy whocommissioned the building of a beautifulmanor house. Many important monarchsof the former Hungarian Empire werehosted there. The manor house hasa brick bridge across the moat. It has

two arches with clear spans of 4 m,its total length is approximately 15m and the road leading across it is ata height of 4 m above the bottom of themoat. Today the manor house is in thegrounds of a golf course and it can beentered only with an entry permit. Thebridge is in a relatively good condition,however it is not maintained and soit is overgrown with vegetation whichrestricts photography of the sculptures atits entrance.

+48 12 05.28S

+17 17 13.68VgPS

BRICK BRIDGE BYTHE MANOR HOUSE

+48 11 44.98S

+17 17 31.90VgPS

The bridge was a part of one ofthe oldest and the most importantrailways of the Austro-HungarianEmpire linking Vienna, Bratislava andBudapest back in the year 1850.

It crossed a shallow valley of thestream ierna voda with 5 brick archesuntil the 2ndof April 1945 when, onEaster Sunday, it was destroyed byGerman troops. Some similar bridgeswere preserved in Bratislava near

to the Main Railway Station. Thedestroyed brick arches were replaced

by only one small reinforced concretearch crossing the stream.


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+48 42 33.00S,+20 30 46.00VgPS

BETLIARSMALL JAPANESEBRIDGE

The bridge is to be found in the middleof a very nicely maintained English parkbelonging to the manor house of Betliar.

Interestingly the park is included in thelist of the worlds most important historicgardens. This really unusual small coveredbridge with two benches inside it was builtat the end of the 19thcentury; however,in 1971 it was swept away by a flood.The bridge was finally rebuilt in 1978 inaccordance with historical documents and

drawings. For constructions of this type it isquestionable whether to classify them asbridges, but with a span of 3.6 m it fulfilsthe formal criteria of the minimum span.

AQUEDUCT +48 42 37.03S,+20 30 37.18VgPSThe aqueduct is also in the areabelonging to the manor house ofBetliar in which it forms part of the socalled Big Waterfall built in 1823.

Nearby the aqueduct, there is anartificial cave and a water reservoirwhich, at the beginning of the 20th

century, was used by the family ofAndrssy for the breeding of ice bears.By an aqueduct, which is roughly 20 mlong, the water is led above the littlelake and from there it falls from a heightof more or less 8 m. The clear span ofthe arch, wh

Documents

Bridges in Slovakia