We can find them among the longest in the world; others boast fascinating design and some are part of modern history; These are the 15 most famous bridges in the world.
Some of them barely carry a couple of decades on their backs, while others remain exactly where they were raised stone by stone centuries ago. What they all have in common is that they are the most famous bridges in the world, some even easily recognizable to the naked eye. Unlike others intended to experience a sense of adventure and adrenaline, such as the imposing Golden Skybridge in Canada or the stepped bridge over a waterfall in Norway, these generally fulfill a practical function by bridging geographical accidents and uniting territories. Although the richness of their architectural designs and their history makes some of them authentic monuments. Can you recognize them all?
1. Puente Golden Gate, San Francisco
The well-known Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most famous bridge in the United States, a symbol that moves tourists daily. Although there are those for whom this honor is disputed next to the New York Brooklyn Bridge. also found among the longest and tallest in the world with its 2.7 kilometers long and 227 meters high. It was built between 1933 and 1937 to connect both sides of the San Francisco Bay, which could only be crossed by ferry. Its red color, which prevents oxidation due to the Pacific water, and its huge hanging structure are quickly recognizable.
However, the gleaming Golden Gate has a dark side. It is one of the biggest suicide hotspots in the world. A subject that was even treated in a documentary “The Bridge” (2006).
Puente Golden Gate, San Francisco.
2. Tower Bridge, London
Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus or Buckingham Palace. If you list the emblematic places that every tourist must visit in London, without a doubt the Tower Bridge will be among the first. This drawbridge was inaugurated in 1894, it does not stand out for its size or for being a challenge for civil engineering, but it does stand out for its history and its characteristic Victorian-style design. In a few years when the city was expanding, it was necessary to connect both banks of the River Thames without affecting river traffic. The solution was to build the Tower Bridge and its power-driven lifting system. steam engines.
Tower Bridge, London.
3. Rialto Bridge, Venice
It is necessary to jump back in history to talk about the Rialto Bridge, which was built between the years 1588 and 1591. It is the oldest of those that cross the Grand Canal Venetian, created as a substitute in stone -and, therefore, more long-lived- of the previous one made of wood that had previously collapsed and burned. The bridge consists of an arch that includes the two inclined ramps that intersect in the arcade in its center. It takes its name from the Rialto Market, which has occupied the banks of the Venetian Grand Canal since 1097.
Rialto Bridge, Venice.
4. Brooklyn Bridge, New York
No other bridge can claim to be the favorite of a superhero like Spiderman, who has landed on it countless times. Nor that Federico García Lorca mentioned it in his work “Poet in New York”. Or that even the Japanese monster Godzilla himself got entangled in his cables, in his 1998 movie. The Brooklyn Bridge has a great presence in fiction and pop culturebeing one of the most iconic places in New York City.
When it was opened in 1883 it earned the title of the world’s largest bridge, at 1,825 meters long, and the first to be erected by means of a innovative suspension system of steel cables. This construction is in charge of crossing the East River and its mission is to keep both banks connected, especially in the freezing season, when the ferries could not navigate through the icy waters.
Brooklyn Bridge, New York.
5. Bay Bridge, Sydney
The Sydney Bay Bridge was opened in 1932 to connect the financial area of the city with the residential area of the north shore. With a height of 134 meters and 1,150 meters in length, it is the most representative building in Australia, with permission of the incomparable Sydney pear. This steel giant, considered one of the longest tensile arch bridges and the highest steel arch bridge in the world, was declared a National Heritage in 2007 and is one of the most touristic places in the country.
Bay Bridge, Sydney.
6. Ponte Vecchio, Florence
The Ponte Vecchio is the second oldest of those mentioned here. Its construction began in the year 1335 and ended in 1345. An emblem of the Italian city of Florence that rises above the Arno river with the rare peculiarity of being one of the few inhabited bridges that can still be seen today. This medieval bridge also had a previous history similar to that of the Venetian Rialto Bridge. However, in his case it was the floods that forced his reconstruction on several occasions.
Ponte Vecchio, Florence.
7. Victoria Falls Bridge, Zambia
The Victoria Falls Bridge not only joins two banks, specifically those of the Zambezi River, but also two border passes: Zimbabwe and Zambia. This parabolic arch bridge was built between 1904 and 1905 and is 198 meters long and 128 meters wide. Undoubtedly, the most striking and special thing about this bridge is that from it you can see how the raging water falls from the spectacular Victoria Falls.
8. Puente Kapellbrcke, Lucerna
The Ms Viejo One of this selection of celebrated bridges is the Kapellbrcke Bridge, also known as the Chapel Bridge, located in the Swiss city of Lucerne. This construction crosses the Reuss river and represents an essential place to visit for any visitor. Although its construction dates back to 1333, this wooden beam bridge -the oldest in Europe- is still standing with its impressive 204.70 meters long.
However, in the past its length was greater until a fire forced it to be shortened by the damaged part in 1835. In 1993, a serious fire destroyed its structure and the artistic wealth of paintings that it kept inside. Despite this, it was restored and reopened to the public a year later.
Puente Kapellbrcke, Lucerna.
9. Puente de Donghai, Zhoushan
The Donghai Bridge, built in 2005, is a gigantic marvel of civil engineering considered one of the longest bridges in the world. It is located in China and was designed to link the provinces of Shanghi and Zhejiang separated by 32.5 kilometers from one point to another. One of its singularities is its “S” shaped structure.
10. Puente Akashi Kaikyo, Japn
Japan is a country made up of nearly 7,000 islands, so bridges connecting them are not uncommon. However, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the most popular of them all. Known as the Akashi Strait Great Bridge, its mission is to create a transit route between the city of Kobe and Awaji Island without interrupting the high traffic of the strait. This is achieved thanks to this 3,911 meter long suspension bridge and the two cables that support it, appreciated as true engineering wonders. Its construction lasted a decade, beginning in 1988 and ending in 1998.
Puente Akashi Kaikyo, Japn.
11. Charles Bridge, Prague
Charles Bridge is the oldest in prague, the second from the Czech Republic and the third on this list. Its works began in 1357 and were not finished until 1402. The project began with the approval of King Carlos IV, from whom it receives its name. However, the monarch could not see the completed work when he died in 1378, long before it was finished. Its 516 meters long sit on 16 arches decorated by thirty statues.
12. Great Belt Bridge, Denmark
More than 100 years had to pass for the Great Belt Bridge to be built, not because of the technical complexity of the work, but because of politics. Since 1998, this suspension bridge has linked the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen, spanning a total distance of 16 kilometres. The idea of building this structure arose in 1850, but it would not become a serious project until 1948, when the Danish Ministry of Transport decided to end ferry transport between the two territories. In 1987 the project was approved and a year later the works began.
However, in 1991 the construction ran into a diplomatic problem. The finnish government brought the Dane to international justice, arguing that the bridge would interrupt maritime traffic in the strait. It was not inaugurated until 1998.
13. Bridge of Alexander III, Pars
The French representation is in charge of the Parisian bridge of Alexander III, whose works began in 1896. Its name is due to the Russian Tsar Alexander III and it was a symbol of union between both nations. In fact, a striking historical detail was that his first stone was laid by his son Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, who came on his behalf -since he died in 1894-. The bridge was inaugurated at the turn of the century, in 1900, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition held that same year. In 1975 it was named a historical monument and in 1999 protected as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The bridge stands out for its architecture and decorationtotally exuberant, full of garlands, ornamental lampposts and sculptures that represent the nymphs of the Seine and the Nev, two emblematic rivers of France and Russia, respectively.
Bridge of Alexander III, Pars.
14. Cau Vang Bridge, Da Nang
No one expects to see giant stone hands coming out of the ground to hold up a golden bridge that seems totally suspended in the air, but so is the Cau Vang Bridge, also called the Golden Bridge. An impressive construction located in the Ba Na Hills of Da Nang, in Vietnam; and, since it opened its doors in 2018, it has not stopped receiving tourists eager to photograph it. As if its design wasn’t surprising enough, the views from its 1,400 meters high are not far behind. An immensity of trees, hills and mountains is what can be seen from its structure. The closest thing to walking through the sky.
Cau Vang Bridge, Da Nang.
15. Puente Helix, Singapore
One of the most famous bridges in the world and the most recent in its construction of those mentioned here is the Helix Bridge in Singapore. The construction of your intricate and fascinating design it lasted for three years, from 2007 until its inauguration in 2010. It consists of a pedestrian walkway that connects the Bayfront commercial district with the central business district known as Marina Bay. The most striking thing, as has already been anticipated, is its architecture formed by a steel double helix that wraps it from end to end. At night it is illuminated by a system of LEDs. It has received prestigious international awards within architecture, one of the most important being the World’s Best Transport Building at the World Architecture Festival Awards.
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