Lions' Bridge, Sofia

Lions' Bridge
Coordinates 42°42′17.65″N 23°19′25.85″E / 42.7049028°N 23.3238472°E / 42.7049028; 23.3238472Coordinates: 42°42′17.65″N 23°19′25.85″E / 42.7049028°N 23.3238472°E / 42.7049028; 23.3238472
Carries Pedestrian and trams
Crosses Vladayska River
Locale Sofia, Bulgaria
Official name Лъвов мост
Characteristics
Design Stone
Total length 32 metres (105 ft)[1]
Width 18 metres (59 ft)[1]
History
Designer Václav Prošek and Jozef Prošek
Construction start 1889[1]
Construction end 1891[1]
Opened 1891[1]
Lions' Bridge
Location in Bulgaria

Lions' Bridge (Bulgarian: Лъвов мост; Lavov most) is a bridge over the Vladaya River in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, built 1889-1891 by Czech architect Václav Prošek, his brother Jozef and his cousins Bohdan and Jiří. It gives the name to the important and busy junction of Marie Louise Boulevard and Slivnitsa Boulevard, at which it is located, connecting the Central Railway Station with the city centre and marking its northern border.

Overview

The bridge was built from stone at the place of an older bridge called Sharen Most (Шарен мост, "Motley Bridge") because it was decorated with red and yellow stripes. The name of Lions' Bridge comes from the four bronze sculptures of lions, its most recognizable feature. All metal elements of the bridge were produced by the Austrian company of Rudolph Philipp Waagner, and electric lights were installed in the early 1900s. The entire construction of the bridge cost 260,000 golden leva.

The Prošek family also designed and built the similar but eagle-themed Eagles' Bridge marking the city centre's eastern border in 1891.

One of the bronze lions is depicted on the reverse of the Bulgarian 20 lev banknote, issued in 1999 and 2007.[2]

Since 2012 the area around Lions' Bridge is served by the Lavov most station of Sofia Metro line 2.[3]

In 2014, a major reconstruction of the square was completed, converting the intersection into a two-level interchange. The automobile traffic was removed from the bridge, reserving it only for trams and pedestrians.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kiradzhiev, Svetlin (2004). 125 години столица. ИК Гутенберг.
  2. ↑ Bulgarian National Bank. Notes and Coins in Circulation: 20 lev (1999 issue) & 20 lev (2007 issue). – Retrieved on 26 March 2009.
  3. ↑ "Bulgaria opens Sofia metro line 2". railway-technology.com. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Лъвов мост като нов" (in Bulgarian). bTV. Retrieved 12 April 2015.

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