Hradecky Bridge, Cast iron arch bridge in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Hradecky Bridge is a cast iron footbridge over the Ljubljanica, linking Hrenova Street in Trnovo with the Prule neighbourhood. Its three arches each consist of two sections bolted together at the crown, and the parts are screwed rather than wedged. The span measures 30.8 m, and the deck is 6.42 m wide.
Cast at the Auersperg iron foundry in Dvor near Žužemberk to plans by Vienna engineer Johann Hermann, the bridge opened on 18 October 1867 on the site of the wooden Cobblers' Bridge. It was named after mayor Johann Nepomuk Hradecky (1820–1846). In 1931 Jože Plečnik moved it near the city mortuary, earning it the nickname "Bridge of the Dead"; it was moved again in 2010–2011.
Officially named after Johann Nepomuk Hradeczky, Ljubljana's mayor from 1820 to 1846, the bridge was known at its first site as the Cobblers' Bridge because it stood where that wooden crossing had been. After its 1931 move near the city mortuary it took the nickname "Bridge of the Dead" (Mrtvaški most), still used in speech.
The bridge links the Krakovo Embankment with the Gruden Embankment just downstream of where the Gradaščica meets the Ljubljanica, joining Prule with Krakovo and Trnovo. It is reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, so cross on foot or by bike; the deck is reached from Hrenova Street and the riverside embankments.
The bridge was cast in one piece at the Auersperg iron foundry in Dvor near Žužemberk, then carried to Ljubljana and bolted together on site from prefabricated triangular elements. Its three arches span 30.8 m, and the original wooden deck was 6.42 m wide. Because it was built in modules, it has been dismantled and moved twice, in 1931 and again in 2010–2011.
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