Chain Bridge (Ozimek)
Coordinates: 50 ° 40 ′ 35 ″ N , 18 ° 12 ′ 45 ″ E
| Chain bridge | ||
|---|---|---|
 in the background the Evangelical Church |
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| use | footbridge | |
| Subjugated | Malapane | |
| place | Malapane (Ozimek) | |
| construction | Chain bridge | |
| overall length | 31.5 meters | |
| width | 6.6 meters | |
| start of building | 1823 | |
| completion | 1827 | |
| opening | September 12, 1827 | |
| planner | Karl Schottelius | |
| location | ||
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The Chain Bridge in Ozimek (German: Malapane ) is a suspension bridge over the Malapane River in Silesia , Poland . In the past an important axis of the city ran through the bridge and it was used for all kinds of traffic, today it is only used as a pedestrian bridge. The chain bridge is important for the city from a historical, technical and cultural point of view, it is one of the oldest structures in town. The Chain Bridge can also be found on the coat of arms of the city and municipality of Ozimek. The name of the city "Malapane" and the year 1827 can be found on the bridge piers
It is considered to be one of the oldest suspension bridges on mainland Europe.
history
The chain bridge was built from 1823 to 1827 and opened on September 12, 1827. It was designed by Karl Schottelius and made in the adjacent Malapane hut. At that time, the Malapane smelter was already well known for the manufacture of bridge parts that were built throughout Prussia. It was also in the possession of the royal hut at Malapane. The connecting road from Opole to Zawadzki ran over the bridge . The bridge was made of cast iron and has a length of 31.50 meters and a width of 6.60 meters. It consists of 1,600 parts. In 1854 the bridge was reinforced.
In 1915 the Provincial Curator of Art Monuments of the Province of Silesia reported that the bridge no longer met the requirements of the time in terms of its load-bearing capacity. Therefore, the chain bridge in Malapane should be dismantled and it was offered as a gift by the Royal Higher Mining Authority of the city of Wroclaw . The Wroclaw magistrate showed appreciable interest, but had no suitable use for the bridge and the high costs of dismantling, transporting and rebuilding the bridge did not lead to a quick agreement. The Wroclaw magistrate, however, submitted an application to the Mining Authority to leave the iron parts to the city, but to wait until the need for a suitable pedestrian bridge is available before rebuilding. Finally, the city of Opole also showed interest in acquiring the bridge. Ultimately, the chain bridge stayed in Malapane.
The problem with traffic over the bridge was finally resolved in the 1930s with the construction of a new bypass west of Malapane. The original road was later interrupted by an extension of the Royal Hut. After severe damage in 1945, the bridge was closed to motor traffic. In 1969 the bridge was registered as a technical monument.
In autumn 2009, extensive renovation work began on the bridge, during which the bridge was completely dismantled. Since the restoration work was completed in September 2010, the chain bridge has been illuminated overnight.
literature
- Józef Tomasz Juros: The bridges from the Prussian-Royal Malapane Works in Malapane , Ozimek (Malapane) 2009, ISBN 978-83-929717-0-2
Web links
- The Chain Bridge on the website of the city of Ozimek (in Polish)
- Upper Silesian Heritage: Europe's oldest iron suspension bridge - Malapane in Upper Silesia
- Iron bridges
- The chain bridge in the Royal Prussian Hut Malapane