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Budapest’s Liberty Bridge, with its rich history, turns 125 years old today!
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The architectural landmark was inaugurated on 4 October 1896 in the presence of Franz Joseph. The bridge originally was named after the emperor, and it got its new name in 1946.
In 1849 the wonderful Chain bridge was inaugurated, and no other bridge was added to the landscape for about 25 years. Then, after 1867 Budapest began to develop. Traffic soon became a reason to build another bridge between two sides of the city, Pest and Buda. In 1876 Margaret bridge, and in 1877 another bridge was added. The latter was a railway bridge, unfit for road traffic. This is how Liberty bridge came about. – writes Index.
This is also the story of why the order of the bridges is confusing. Liberty Bridge was the fourth in order, but the third one that could be used in road traffic.
In 1893 János Feketeházy and Róbert Totth competed with their plans to build the bridge. Their work earned trust and appreciation. Therefore the construction works started in 1894. The two architects were internationally recognised professionals in their time.
The lion of the Chain Bridge was lifted — VIDEO, PHOTOS
Virgil Nagy was an important person in designing the bridge’s visuals. The gates resting on pillars, decorated with the Hungarian coat of arms and two Hungarian birds known from legends were his idea. Electric lamps and gas lamps were installed, and the bridge was painted green, a colour with rich Hungarian symbolism.
Informative – Educational.
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Painting the light fixtures the same color as the rest does not seem like they were the original color, they just blend in to the structure that is very strange.