Sychrovský viadukt, Stone railway viaduct in Radimovice, Czech Republic
Sychrovský viadukt is a two-tier stone railway viaduct on the Pardubice–Liberec line, crossing the wide Mohelka valley at the 132nd kilometre, directly at Sychrov station. Its eight arches have a span of 9.5 m; the upper row of semicircular arches, 120 m long in total, sits above six lower, compressed arches. The bridge is 32 m high, 11 m wide and curves with a radius of 386 m.
The viaduct was built in 1857–1859 by the Klein brothers and Vojtěch Lanna the Elder as part of the South-North German Connecting Railway, linking the fortresses of Hradec Králové and Josefov with Olomouc. Seven years later, during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the new line carried Prussian troop movements through Bohemia and Moravia.
The viaduct carries the Pardubice–Liberec line directly through Sychrov station, where the last switch of the station lies on the bridge itself. The line was built to link the fortresses of Hradec Králové and Josefov with Olomouc, serving both trade and military transport. Seven years after completion, during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the railway played a key role in moving troops.
The structure sits along the active railway line and is still used by regular train services in both directions. Visitors can view the viaduct from nearby paths or experience it firsthand while traveling by rail.
The structure employs an unusual double-tier design where upper semicircular arches rest directly on six lower, more tightly compressed arches below. This technical approach was innovative for its time and allowed the engineers to span greater distances across deeper terrain.
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