Confessions of a Bridge-Lover
There is Love.. and then there is a love for places. I am fascinated by bridges. Often situated in stunning settings, bridges invite us to understand their history, the context in which they were built, and the stories they tell, and the legends they evoke.
Bridges are links between people and different parts of cities, a way of developing trade and commerce. A bridge can be a structure to cross an open space or a gap, an infrastructure that supports the movements of a region, and it’s important that they are well maintained and remain safe.
Lovers also use bridges to put padlocks on, as a symbol of everlasting love. There is even a word for bridge lovers like me: «pontist», a bridge enthusiast, who enjoys visiting and photographing bridges of any kind. (Look up the UK blog “The Happy Pontist'').
The oldest bridge in the world, still strong and in use today is a single arched, slab-stone bridge over the river Meles in Izmir, Turkey, which dates from around 850 BC. And, of course, we still build bridges today. One of the latest constructions is the impressive «Çanakkale 1915» bridge scheduled to open in March 2022, connecting the towns of Gelibolu on the European side of Turkey with Lapseki on the Asian side, spanning the Dardanelles strait.
Some bridges are never-ending projects—a long-planned suspension bridge across the beautiful strait of Messina in southern Italy has supposedly been planned since ancient times. The project was relaunched in the 1990s, then cancelled by Prime Minister Prodi in 2006, relaunched in 2009 by the PM Berlusconi, and finally cancelled by the PM Monti’s government in 2013. The idea was that the bridge would be part of the Trans-European Transport Network. Maybe one day we will be able to travel by train on the «Berlin to Palermo railway axis»!
Many bridges are iconic symbols of a city like the Brooklyn Bridge in New York and the Pont Neuf in Paris, or a symbol of struggles and wars like the Mostar Bridge (Stari Most) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. And as a pontist, my list of favorite bridges is long—the Sant’Angelo Bridge in Rome, many bridges in Paris, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.. all part of my fond travel memories. And of course one of my favorite films is The Bridges of Madison County—what else!
But these are the bridges at the top of my list:
The first one is in Copenhagen, where there are a total of 182 bridges. The Dronning Louises Bro (Queen Louises Bridge) might not be as fancy as the modern bridges in the city, but it’s a very special place to me. This is in the part of the city, where I was born and lived until I was 9 years old. It’s where I took many walks with my parents and fed fat ducks in the lakes. As many families from the inner city did, we moved out to the suburbs, but I managed to come back and lived there again when I was a young adult.
Dronning Louises Bro
Image | Nina Seffusatti
It was built in 1887 in the northwest part of the city centre, linking it with one of the ten districts, Nørrebro. In the mid-19th century Nørrebro was developing, and it became necessary to find a new solution for the growing population and booming traffic on an old, notoriously dangerous, 17th-century bridge between two lakes.
In 1875, the city created the «Søtorvet», an elegant residential development facing the lakes, built in a Neo-Renaissance style inspired by the architecture of French castles and the baron Haussmann’s developments in Paris. Copenhagen now had a grandiose and pompous gateway to the Inner City— with four buildings symmetrically arranged, two on each side of the street, and the new bridge as a symbol of a growing city.
The proposal for the new bridge was inspired by the Medieval bridges of Florence and Venice, but it was ultimately one of the most prominent Danish architects, Vilhelm Dahlerup, who designed the bridge. He is known for several buildings and landmarks in the city: one is The National Gallery (Statens Museum for Kunst) in the Historicist Italian Renaissance revival style.
Dahlerup’s bridge is built in granite with three arches, lampposts, flagpoles, and cast iron railings with bronze decorations featuring Copenhagen’s coat of arms —the style is heavily inspired by the French Empire style. The bridge quickly became a popular place for Copenhageners to stroll and get fresh air. Around the turn of the century the bridge became a recurring motif on postcards, many painters and photographers used it in their art, and many Danish writers have described it in their stories. The city named the bridge after Queen Louise, the wife of King Christian IX, known as “The Mother-in-Law of Europe”, as she arranged high status marriages for her 6 children, thereby connecting the Danish dynasty to Great Britain, Russia, Sweden and Greece. These marriages also gave Queen Louise and King Christian 39 grandchildren!
View from Dronning Louises Bro
Image | Nina Seffusatti
Today it is a favorite hangout with lots of benches, and on a sunny day Copenhageners and visitors go there with their coffee or beer, to have a chat, a flirt, and listen to music. They enjoy the beautiful view of the two lakes, Peblinge and Sortedam, which are part of the three lakes, that are some of the oldest features of Copenhagen’s topography. In the late 1920’s, pathways surrounding the lakes were made, creating a delightful recreational area. A horrible project for a 6-lane motorway suggested in 1959, that would have disfigured part of the lakes, was abandoned in the 1970’s.
The Dronning Louise’s bridge was listed as an important historic structure in 1997 and went through some transformations; the car road was narrowed, creating more space for the sidewalks and bike paths, which resulted in reduced car traffic and increased bicycle traffic, and with the wider sidewalks and more benches on the sunny side of the bridge, it has become a popular place to soak up the sun and enjoy life.
Today it is a busy and buzzing place with pedestrians, busses, cars and over 40.000 bicycles per day crossing the bridge, which makes it one of the busiest bike paths in the world (not surprising when you think about the 700.000 bicycles used daily in Copenhagen on the 384 km/239 miles of bike paths).
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge
Image | Umer Sayyam, Unsplash
Other bridges around the world have a special place in my heart as well. One of them is The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Built in 1937, in a magnificent setting, it was the tallest and the longest suspension bridge in the world, a symbol of the power and the progress of the USA. It has been part of TV shows and movies like The Maltese Falcon, Vertigo, The Rock, Batman, Pacific Rim, and it’s one of the world's most photographed and Instagrammed bridges.
I was 18 years old on my first trip outside Europe, and I had the images of the Golden Gate bridge in my mind from movies and books. But being there in person was astonishing. Driving across it on a sunny day and looking up at the beautiful Art Deco structure, painted in this very special orange color, was a true wow moment. Every time I have returned to San Francisco, I go and see it again!
Si-o-se-pol, The Allahverdi Khan Bridge
Image | Reza Haji-pour رضا حاجیپور, Wikimedia Commons
Another great bridge is in the city Isfahan in Iran—the Allahverdi Khan Bridge or Si-o-se-pol (the Bridge of Thirty-three Spans). At 298m long and 14 m wide, it is the largest of eleven historic bridges on the river Zayandeh. Built in the 17th century in yellow bricks and limestone, to serve both as a bridge and a dam, it is a beautiful example of the Safavid architecture from the reign of Shah Abbas, who made Isfahan the capital of his empire. He ordered the construction of several bridges, and the Si-o-se-pol was constructed on the remains of an older bridge to connect the Muslim quarter with the Armenian neighbourhood.
Si-o-se-pol
Image | Nina Seffusatti
I crossed this bridge late in the afternoon after a long day of visiting the incredible city of Isfahan. Having seen the impressive Naqsh-e Jahan square surrounded by mosques and the grand bazaar, I was tired as I made my way back to the hotel. But this view, and walking on it, seeing the broad «iwans» or niches inside the arches of the bridge, where people can rest and meet, reinvigorated me with positive energy. Si-o-se-pol has become an integral part of Isfahan’s nightlife, for romantic walks, watching the sunset, listening to street musicians, public meetings, events, and as an observation point for regattas and other water sports on the river.
Golden hour at the Pont d’Avignon
Image | Trish Feaster
Having made Avignon, France my adopted home for the last 28 years, I can’t leave out the “bridge to nowhere.” The «Pont d’Avignon», or the Bridge of Saint Bénézet. The construction began in 1177, and was partially destroyed many times by the fast-moving Rhone. Rebuilt several times, it was finally abandoned in the 17th century, because it had become too costly to repair and rebuild. If you like to see what it would have looked like, check out this incredible 3D digital reconstruction video.
The famous song “Sur le Pont d'Avignon'' (On the Bridge of Avignon), which many have learned in French classes, has made it known worldwide . And even though the bridge doesn’t take us anywhere, it is still a symbol of medieval architecture and ingenuity.
St Bénézet Bridge
Image | Nina Seffusatti
There is a legend about the bridge being built single-handedly after receiving a divine commandment, by a young shepherd, Bénézet, (little Benedict in English) who was guided to Avignon by a vision and the voice of angels. Here he lifted up a stone that it would have taken 30 men to lift, and thereby convinced the bishop of the city that Benezet was on a mission. Eighteen miracles occured, a bridge-building brotherhood was founded, and when Bénézet died in 1184, he was buried in a chapel on the bridge. He was canonized and is the patron saint of bridge builders (and bachelors, for some reason).
As the broken Pont d’Avignon figures on so many postcards and in every book about Avignon, and has surely put the city on the map, there are no serious projects to rebuild it.
In an evocative tribute to this iconic bridge, the Ailey II dancers are the first company to be allowed to dance and film on the medieval bridge built between 1177 and 1185. The music they dance to is a remix of the original song, created by The Stormz. Ailey II brings the popular children's song "Sur Le Pont d'Avignon'' to life as they dance their way across the medieval bridge. The first two lines of the song "Sur le pont d'Avignon/On y danse, on y danse" translates to "On the bridge of Avignon/They are dancing, they are dancing". And these talented dancing pontists beautifully combine their passion for dance with a love of this bridge.
