Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge

Streets of Nuremberg

7 years ago

“Bridge” is the theme of this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge from Word Press’ “The Daily Post”. Frequent readers of this blog know I have recently posted a few bridge images I took during my frequent trips to Oregon, and of course you find them in this post as well, together with a few more bridge images I took around the world, like the one above of Prague’s world-famous Charles bridge from the 14th century. To see them all continue after the jump….

The first set of bridge images is from Venice, the city of the thousand bridges. The Sigh Bridge (Ponte dei Sospiri), across which the condemned convicts were brought from the courts in the Doge Palace to the lead prisons across a small channel. For many the view from the Sigh Bridge was the last daylight they saw for the rest of their lives.

Then the Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge to span the Grand Channels with its many palaces, boats and gondolas. This world-famous bridge has a connection to Nuremberg, as one of the original architectural models from its construction 1588-1591 was in the possession of Nuremberg’s city builder Wolf Jacob Stromer and is still on display in the small castle of the Stromer merchant family which is in Grünsberg, just a few kilometer from my house.

Another world-famous Italian bridge is in Rome, the Ponte Sant’Angelo or Angels Bridge, spanning the Tiber and connecting St. Peter with the Castel Sant’Angelo. The bridge was erected in 154 AD. The angels now giving the bridge its name were commissioned by a pope in the 16th century.

The Ponte Vecchio in Florence is the oldest bridge in the Tuscan capital, existing in today’s form since 1345, with little houses and shops lining the bridge on both sides, with the entrances to the pathway in the center of the bridge.

Finishing of my Italian bridges collection is this photo of the Ponte Vecchio, aka Ponte degli Alpini in Bassano del Grappa, a wooden bridge constructed in 1569.

Another wooden bridge is the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne in Switzerland. With 202 meters it is the second longest wooden bridge in Europe. It was constructed in 1333 and stood for 660 years until large parts were destroyed by a fire in 1993, but since has been rebuilt to its former glory.

Another type of bridge is the access ramp crossing the moat to Nuremberg’s Imperial Castle. Another bridge that actually is a house is the Hangman’s residence in Nuremberg’s old town.

Like Venice also Copenhagen is another European City full off bridges connecting the various channels and islands of the Danish capital. Really fun is a boat tour under the narrow historic bridges.

Another European capital situated along a major river is Budapest. From the castle hill one has a splendid view of the Danube, the Hungarian Parliament Building and the many bridges spanning the Buda and Pest parts of the twin city.

Before heading back to the US West Coast for my final set of bridge photos here is a slightly different take on the theme, depicting the shadow of the photographer (me in this case) standing on a suspension bridge in Slovenia.

Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge is one of Oregon’s prime tourist destinations, especially due to the bridge connecting two cliffs right at the middle of the two step falls. Plenty more bridges can be found in Portland, spanning Willamette and Columbia Rivers.

Finishing up this little tour of bridges across the world are two iron structures, one spanning the mouth of the Columbia River and the entrance to the Bay Area, the Astoria Megler Bridge (more than 4 miles long, built in 1961) in Oregon. And last but not least the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in California.