Anghel Saligny Bridge, Railway bridge in Cernavodă, Romania
Anghel Saligny Bridge is a steel railway crossing over the Danube in Romania, linking Cernavodă with Fetești across 2632 meters of water. The structure consists of five main sections that span the river using massive steel beams and arched frameworks.
Engineer Anghel Saligny designed and built this railway bridge between 1890 and 1895, marking a milestone in European engineering. Completion brought Romania international recognition and greatly improved travel between the capital and the Black Sea port of Constanța.
Two sentinel statues of Romanian infantry soldiers, created by French sculptor Léon Pilet, stand at the Cernavodă entrance and greet every passing train. These guardians embody the national pride and engineering achievement that Romania reached with this crossing.
The structure rises 30 meters above water level to let large ships pass underneath through three passages of 140 meters each. From both riverbanks, you can view the structure by walking along the nearby roads, though access to the bridge itself is not possible due to active train traffic.
During the inauguration test in 1895, engineer Saligny positioned himself in a boat under the bridge while 15 locomotives crossed at 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour). This bold act demonstrated his absolute confidence in the safety and stability of his design.
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