Posts Tagged Bridge
Østfold in Pictures: Gamlebyen’s drawbridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on February 3, 2010
Focus on Gamlebyen: The drawbridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture on February 3, 2010
The drawbridge, at the entrance to the Old Town, is the first thing visitors see on approaching Gamlebyen. As many as 30 soldiers were once required to raise the bridge at dusk and lower it at dawn. Anyone arriving after the bridge had been drawn would have to wait until the next day to get into the town. The bridge is still there, but because it’s built of wood it has burned down and been rebuilt many times. Today it’s a popular spot with locals, who come here to feed the ducks in summer, and take sunset pictures in winter. The guardhouse outside the bridge has been converted into a glassblower’s cabin. A selection of hand-blown glassware is on display – on certain days during the holidays you can even see the glassmith at work.
Østfold in Pictures: The Fredrikstad Bridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on January 16, 2010
The Fredrikstad Bridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture on January 16, 2010
Dominating the landscape on the eastern side of the city, the Fredrikstad Bridge, with its distinctive arch, has become a landmark for Fredrikstad. The silver bow-shaped bridge, which was opened in August 1957, is also a vital link between the Old Town and the new one. Spanning the Glomma about 2km from where the river meets the Oslo fjord, the bridge is an impressive 824m long and 40m tall.
In March 2004 a 2.5m ’suicide fence’ was affixed to the bridge. Up to 3 people every year used to take their lives by jumping from the bridge, and it is believed that many more have tried. The fence, which stretches 400m down on each side of the bridge, was an attempt to put a stop to these sad statistics.
The bridge is part of the technical heritage of Norway, and as such was listed by the Riksantikvaren (Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway) in 2008, together with the roundabout on the east side – the first roundabout in Norway to acquire this status.
You can see old black-and-white photos of the bridge being built here www.demokraten.no/bildeserier/article2923408.ece
Østfold in Pictures: Fredrikstad Bridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on October 27, 2009
Østfold in Pictures: Puttesund Bridge (Hvaler)
Posted by admin in Photos and videos on October 21, 2009
The Svinesund Bridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture on October 15, 2009
Joining Sweden and Norway over the picturesque Iddefjord, the Svinesund Bridge, opened to traffic in June 2005, is a modern structure in concrete and steel, and a very striking one. The main span of the bridge, which reaches 30m at its highest point, is a single arch of 247m (the total length of the bridge is 740m). Apparently it was the word’s largest bridge of its kind when it was designed. It cost a whopping Skr1,400 million to build, and the cost is being partly recouped nowadays by the tolls payable to cross the bridge (20Nkr each way). Svinesund Bridge is part of the E6, the motorway between Oslo and Gothenburg – and crossing the border between the two countries here is quite a sight, with the fjord some 60m down below, the Oslo fjord in the distance on one side, and the old Svinesund bridge spanning the narrow fjord in the other direction. See photos of the bridge on www.flickr.com/search/?q=svinesund+bridge