Miloš Sýkora bridge, Cultural monument bridge in Moravská Ostrava and Slezská Ostrava, Czech Republic.
The Miloš Sýkora Bridge is a riveted steel arch bridge with a lower deck over the Ostravice River, linking the Moravian and Silesian parts of Ostrava. Its steel truss arch spans 60.7 m with a rise of 7 m; the bridge is 92 m long and 16 m wide, with a 10 m roadway and two 2.5 m sidewalks.
The present riveted steel arch was assembled in 14 weeks in spring 1914 by the Vítkovice ironworks to designs from Friedrich Bleicher's office, replacing the 1886 Reichsbrücke. It was named after Miloš Sýkora, a 24-year-old lathe operator killed on 30 April 1945 while cutting wires to German charges. It became a cultural monument in 2009.
The bridge is named after Miloš Sýkora, a 24-year-old turner and communist youth member who, with his friend Olšák, reportedly cut the wires to the explosives the Nazis had laid on 30 April 1945; he was shot while retreating. A monument by Konrád Babraj on the Silesian bank commemorates him, though historians question his role.
The bridge is straightforward to cross on foot or by bicycle with clearly marked pathways for both. It is best explored during daylight hours when the river views below are most visible.
The first tank to cross the bridge on 30 April 1945 was No. 051, commanded by Lieutenant Nikolai Ivasyuk; after crossing, it was hit in the engine and radio operator Ivan Ahepjuk was killed. An Ostrava street, Ahepjukova, is named after him.
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