The Liberty Bridge in Budapest is one of the significant landmarks of the city. Connecting the Buda and the Pest side of the river, the bridge was inaugurated in 1896. It is often compared to the Chain Bridge with respect to footfall as well as their respective designs.
The Liberty Bridge in Budapest is locally known as Szabadsag hid. The bridge was initially known as Franz Joseph Bridge, in honor of the then monarch of Habsburg, Franz Joseph. The inauguration of the bridge came at the time of the Millennium celebrations in 1896. The Liberty Bridge is the shortest bridge of Budapest and was opened for public use in the year 1896.
Structure of Liberty Bridge
The Liberty Bridge was the third bridge to be constructed in Budapest. Often the Liberty Bridge of Budapest is compared to the Chain Bridge in terms of bridge traffic as well as its beauty. The beauty of the bridge lies in its careful yet intricate ironwork. The Bridge has designs of turul birds on the top of the pillars of the bridge.
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These turul birds had occupied a place of special relevance in Magyar history and are considered to be a mystical symbol.
Design of Liberty Bridge
The Liberty Bridge connects the southern part of Gelert Hills with the Pest side of the Danube River. Up to 1868, the Liberty Bridge acted mainly as a ship bridge on a temporary basis. Thereafter, a decision was made to construct a permanent bridge at its place and hence several designs for the bridge were taken into consideration. The committee assigned with the responsibility of choosing a design for the bridge got an overwhelming response. Of the total 70 entries, the Committee chose the design of Janos Feketeházy and finally the present Liberty Bridge came into being.
The Liberty Bridge of Budapest suffered considerable damages during the Second World War. It was in fact one of the very first bridges to undergo reconstruction work. In recent years it has emerged as one of the important bridges in the city and is a popular tourist attraction.
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