Small bridge
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Small Bridge (Mali most, Мали мост) is a steel bridge in Zrenjanin, Serbia.
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[edit] Name
In Serbian, the bridge is known as Мали мост or Mali most, in Hungarian as Kishid, and in German as Kleine Brücke.
[edit] The wooden bridge
Before current bridge made of steel, a wooden bridge used to stand on its place. The old wooden bridge was made after great fire in town in 1807. It was a bascule bridge, which was opened for the boat traffic. A new bridge, made of steel, replaced it in 1904.
[edit] History
Small bridge is the oldest bridge in town. It is connecting town center with Mala Amerika quarter. It was built in 1904, the same year as the Great bridge, often called "The Eiffel's bridge". There are some inditions that the Small bridge was also designed in Eiffel's studio (similar to some bridges in Timişoara).
Bridge's first official name was "Francis Josef I Bridge" ("Most Franje Josifa" in Serbian or "Franz-Josefs Brücke" in German or "Ferencz József Hid" in Hungarian), named after Austro-Hungarian emperor Francis Josef I. This bridge also had movable middle part, which had been opened for the boat traffic on the Begej river.
After the World War I, new authorities renamed it to "Караџићев мост" (Karadžić's Bridge), named after Vuk Karadžić. However, this was never put into life. Among Zrenjanin citizens it simply remained "Мали мост" ("Small Bridge").
[edit] Small Bridge today
In the year 1985 bed of the Begej river was moved and three lakes were made of its old bed; the bridge was left without the river. However, it crosses now one of the lakes, but it did not lose its significance. It is still one of the Zrenjanin symbols, the century-old striving of its citizens to span the river, to enlarge and develop the town on its both banks.
