Ura e Goricës
The Ura e Goricës (Bridge of Gorica), also called Ura e Beratit (Bridge of Berat), is an Ottoman stone arch bridge in the central Albanian city of Berat . It spans the Osum and connects the Gorica district (hence its name) with the old town district of Mangalem . The bridge is one of the landmarks of Berat.
Since it was closed to car traffic in August 2011, the Ura e Goricës is now a pedestrian bridge. Before that it was the only connection for vehicles to Gorica and the hinterland beyond. For several years now, pedestrians have had a more direct connection to the city center via a small wooden suspension bridge a little upstream.
history
A bridge was first mentioned at this point in the 17th century. The Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi describes the bridge with nine arches and eight stone pillars in his Seyahatnâme . The roadway is said to have consisted of oak boards.
In 1780 the existing bridge was finally expanded into a stone bridge. The construction time fell under the rule of the local pasha Ahmet Kurt , who probably ordered the construction. In 1888 the Ura e Goricës collapsed during a flood, but was rebuilt. During the First World War , it again suffered some serious damage until it was completely renovated between 1920 and 1930.
Legend
According to a legend, a girl had to be sacrificed to build the bridge to appease the ghosts of the river who resisted the construction of the bridge. The girl was held captive with a porter in a wall niche until she starved to death and could calm the river spirits. Until the renovation in the 1920s, there was even such a niche on the first pillar, but it was filled at that time. During the work, a wooden sculpture was found in another pillar depicting the head of a woman.
construction
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The stone bridge has a total length of 129.3 meters and a width of 5.3 meters. The seven arches have spans from 9 to 16.7 meters. The maximum height of the bridge above the river level is 10 meters. The bridge has six pillars, each with a large arched window in the masonry; In five of the pillars there are also two smaller arched windows above this window. So there are a total of 16 masonry windows.
The two southernmost arches were rebuilt from bricks during the renovation work in the 19th century. Otherwise the bridge is made of hewn stone.
Damage
In August 2011, the over 200 year old bridge was finally closed to passenger cars. This became necessary after the bridge had suffered major damage over the years. According to the culture department of the city council of Berat, the whole construction needs renovation. Most of the damage was caused by the heavy drinking water pipe that was attached to the bridge in the 1960s to supply water to the Gorica district. However, the fact that the Ura e Goricës was the only connection between the southern villages and the district capital Berat and its main road for centuries, and that all traffic was forced over the bridge, put a heavy strain on the construction. The bridge could only be closed after a new bridge had been opened. This is about 350 meters further downstream and has four lanes and sidewalks on both sides.
In May 2013 the city administration opened the bridge to traffic again.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Mimoza Haxhialiu: Dëmtohet ura e Goricës, ndalohen makinat. In: Shqip . August 5, 2011, archived from the original on August 28, 2011 ; Retrieved October 21, 2011 (Albanian).
- ↑ a b c d Ura e Goricës, Drejtoria e Kulturës Kombëtare Berat. In: National Department of Culture Berat. August 7, 2011, Retrieved October 21, 2011 (Albanian).
- ↑ a b Bridge of Gorica (Ura e Goricës). In: argophilia Albania. Retrieved October 21, 2011 .
- ↑ a b Julian Xhelili: Pasi shkatërrohet Ura e Goricës, bllokohet kalimi i automjeteve. (No longer available online.) In: Gazeta Telegraf. October 11, 2011, formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 21, 2011 (Albanian). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Machiel Kiel : Ottoman architecture in Albania (1385-1912) . In: Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (Ed.): Islamic art series . tape 5 . Istanbul 1990, ISBN 92-9063-330-1 , pp. 75 f .
- ↑ Valter Shtylla: Ura e re mbi Osum dhe Qendra Historike e Beratit. In: Shqip . February 19, 2009, archived from the original ; Retrieved October 21, 2011 (Albanian).
- ↑ Ura e Goricës, drejt rrënimit (The Bridge of Gorica, in danger of collapsing). In: Top Channel . August 4, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013 .
Coordinates: 40 ° 42 ′ 10.7 ″ N , 19 ° 56 ′ 41.2 ″ E