Bridge in Vojvodina, Serbia
Varadin Bridge
Варадински мост
Varadinski most |
|---|
 Varadin Bridge in Novi Sad, August 2013 |
| Coordinates | 45°15′17″N 19°51′27″E / 45.254653°N 19.857472°E / 45.254653; 19.857472 |
|---|
| Crosses | Danube |
|---|
| Locale | Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia |
|---|
| Official name | Marshal Tito Bridge (1946–1991) (Old bridge)
Varadin Bridge (1991–) (Old and new bridges) |
|---|
| Named for | Josip Broz Tito (1946–1991) (Old bridge) |
|---|
| Preceded by | Prince Andrew Bridge (Old bridge)
Liberty Bridge (New bridge) |
|---|
| Followed by | Žeželj Bridge |
|---|
|
| Design | Truss bridge (Old bridge)
Box girder bridge (New bridge) |
|---|
| Material | Steel |
|---|
| Trough construction | Steel |
|---|
| Pier construction | Reinforced concrete |
|---|
| Total length | 344 m (Old bridge)
304 m (New bridge) |
|---|
| Traversable? | Yes |
|---|
| Piers in water | 2 |
|---|
| No. of lanes | 2 |
|---|
|
| Engineering design by | Miodrag Živković, Panta Jakovljević, Sava Atanacković (Old bridge)
Mašinska Industrija Niš (New bridge) |
|---|
| Construction start | 13 August 1945; 78 years ago (1945-08-13) (Old bridge)
January 2000; 24 years ago (2000-01) (New bridge) |
|---|
| Construction end | 20 January 1946; 78 years ago (1946-01-20) (Old bridge)
1 September 2000; 23 years ago (2000-09-01) (New bridge) |
|---|
| Opened | 20 January 1946; 78 years ago (1946-01-20) (Old bridge)
1 September 2000; 23 years ago (2000-09-01) (New bridge) |
|---|
| Collapsed | 1 April 1999; 24 years ago (1999-04-01) (Old bridge) |
|---|
|
 |
Varadin Bridge (Serbian: Варадински мост, Varadinski most) is a bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was built in 2000, after the previous bridge at this location was destroyed during NATO bombardment on 1 April 1999.[1][2][3]
Name
The name Varadin Bridge, just like the name of Petrovaradin, derives from the Hungarian words for fortress (vár) and town (város), along with the Turkish word for faith (din).[4] The name of the old Varadin Bridge, prior to 1991, was Marshal Tito Bridge (Serbian Cyrillic: Мост Маршала Тита, romanized: Most Maršala Tita), named after Josip Broz Tito. During the opening of the new bridge, it was named Varadin Rainbow (Serbian: Варадинска дуга, Varadinska duga) due to the bridges arch and rainbow night lighting. The citizens would also give it the nickname of Varadin Sorrow (Serbian: Варадинска туга, Varadinska tuga).[3] This name would later change to the current one.[1][2]
Location
New Varadin Bridge was built on top of piers of the Old Varadin Bridge, which was located on the same location as the previous Prince Tomislav Bridge, at the end of Mihalja Pupina Boulevard (then named Maršala Tita Boulevard), connecting to Petrovaradin Old Town with the Beogradska street.[1][2]
History
Old Varadin Bridge
After the end of the Second World War, the city of Novi Sad lacked any permanent bridges across the Danube, using a temporary wooden pontoon bridge. The construction of a new bridge on the location of the destroyed Prince Tomislav Bridge was imperative. Construction started on 13 August 1945 and was finished in record 160 days on 20 January 1946. The construction was done by German prisoners of war, which were later freed as a reward for completing the bridge. Marshal Tito Bridge was intended to be a temporary solution, planned to last only 5 years, however the bridge would remain for 53 years. It was built in the form of a single truss beam, repurposing the existing piers of the Prince Tomislav Bridge. The bridge was also notable for being the first permanent steel bridge built since the end of the Second World War in Europe.[1][2]
Prior to the construction of the Žeželj Bridge in 1961, the bridge also functioned as the main railway bridge across the Danube. The last train over the Marshal Tito Bridge crossed in 1962, after which the railway was dismantled from the bridge, as well as the Štrosmajerova street and within Petrovaradin Old Town. On the last train car that crossed the bridge a poster was placed that had "Jel Vam žao što se rastajemo?" (Are you sorry that we're departing?) written on it.[5]
Like most communist streets and neighborhoods in Novi Sad, the bridge would change its name from Marshal Tito to Varadin in 1991.[1] [2]
Due to its importance as a major traffic artery connecting Bačka and Syrmian end of the city, the bridge was destroyed at the early days of the NATO bombing of Novi Sad on 1 April 1999.[1] Oleg M. Nasov, a 29 year old citizen of Novi Sad, died due to the bombing while riding his bike near the bridge. Citizens of Novi Sad would pay tribute to Oleg and the destroyed bridge by placing flowers on the Novi Sad end of the bridge. A plague dedicated to Oleg Nasov would later be placed on the new bridge's entrance.[2][3] The famous Yugoslav sculptor, Jovan Soldatović, would open up an exhibition at the ruins of the Varadin Bridge on 14 April, at the height of the intensive bombing of Novi Sad and Yugoslavia. The exhibition opened in front of the Novi Sad Club by Dr Aleksandar Lučić. The set up an exhibition composed from the installation Dođe li rat – odoše ljudi (made in 1972) at the Novi Sad side of the bridge's ruins.[6]
New Varadin Bridge
After the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, just like the previous bridge, the construction of a new bridge on the same location was imperative for city traffic. The remnants of the old bridge were cleaned up at the end of 1999. The construction started at the beginning of 2000, with Mašinska Industrija Niš working day an night, in parallel with the construction of Boško Peroševič Bridge. The bridge is of a box girder design. It repurposed the bridge piers of previous Varadin and Prince Tomislav bridges, adding additional concrete that elevates the road span for ship traversal, which gave the bridge its signature arch. The bridge was completed in September 1999, before the 2000 Yugoslavian general elections. The bridge was opened for traffic in October of that year.[1][2][3]
.jpg)
.jpg)
