The New Bridge (also known as Mitrovica Bridge or Ibar River Bridge) is a steel truss bridge crossing the Ibar river in Kosovska Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo[a].[1] It was built in 2005 by the French KFOR.
The New Bridge is one of three bridges over the Ibar River in Kosovska Mitrovica. The other two, one leading to the railway station, and the other being an abandoned railway bridge, are only lightly used. The New Bridge is the main crossing point between the two sides of the city.
The New Bridge has become an iconic symbol of Kosovo division,[2][3] as it separates around 80,000 Kosovo Albanians in the south from about half as many Serbs living in the north.[4] It is used as a military checkpoint and provides a defacto border between Serbia and Kosovo.[5]
Notes:
| a. | ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, while Serbia claims it as part of its own sovereign territory. Its independence is recognised by 86 UN member states. |
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