Butchers' Bridge, Footbridge in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Butchers' Bridge is a 33-metre steel footbridge over the Ljubljanica, linking the Central Market with the Petkovšek Embankment. Three curved shell-like steel girders carry a deck with 39 mm glass edge strips and Pohorje tonalite paving; stairs at each bank handle the height difference. Jakov Brdar's bronze figures stand at the entrances and mid-span.

Jože Plečnik planned a covered bridge for the Central Market in the late 1930s, but World War II prevented its construction, leaving an empty spot in the market for over fifty years. In 2009 the city under mayor Zoran Janković began building the current bridge, designed by Jurij Kobe, which opened on 10 July 2010. At 33 metres long and 17.3 metres wide, it is an antithesis to Plečnik's monumental design rather than its completion.

The bridge displays sculptures by Jakov Brdar showing mythological figures including Adam and Eve, a Satyr, and Prometheus alongside smaller grotesque creatures. These artworks turn the crossing into a place where people encounter stories and images from ancient myths.

Two staircases bridge the height difference between the banks, and a lift on the market side links the bridge to the Plečnik market hall. Public toilets with a baby-changing space are provided, and a boat stop under the bridge is accessible to wheelchair users. In winter the glass side panels are covered with a rubber mat because pedestrians slip on them when wet or icy.

Couples attach small padlocks with their names to the steel wire railings and throw the keys into the Ljubljanica below. This ritual has made the bridge a place where pairs mark their relationships with a symbolic gesture.