There’s nothing particularly interesting about bridges, until you – like us – look up the best bridges around the world and realize that you’re actually really into bridges. These works of art and engineering have taken bridge-building from its mere utility of connecting two elevated points to something far greater.
10. Magdeburg Water Bridge (Germany)
The water bridge – or aqueduct – in Magdeburg, Germany was planned as a solution to a particular problem with the region’s waterways. It connects two canal systems – Elbe-Havel Canal and the Mittelland Canal – with the Elbe river and each other. Previously, the journey took a seven-mile detour and multiple locks to lower and raise ships between varying elevations.
Now, it’s barely a few minutes of waiting, as you get lowered or raised on to any of the waterways you want and be on your way. The bridge – originally conceived in the 1930s but only built after the Cold War was over – is actually a set of multiple bridges with their own lock systems. Thanks to it, ships can now seamlessly move between the inner harbors of Berlin and ports along the Rhine river, essentially connecting the eastern and western parts of the country’s vast waterway network.
9. Pont du Gard Aqueduct (France)
Few civilizations have dabbled in the high art of bridge-making as the Romans, exemplified by their near-obsession with aqueducts. The Roman aqueduct network was intricate and spread out across its vast territory, providing its distant, arid colonies with a steady supply of water. That involved building bridges of all kinds, as the aqueducts had to be connected over many different types of natural obstacles.
While most of that network is now lost to history, we can see glimpses of it in structures like the Pont du Gard. One of the most-visited tourist destinations in France, the Pont du Gard – or ‘Bridge of the Gard’ – towers over its surroundings at a height of 155 feet, which is pretty high for even modern bridges. It’s made up of three levels with multiple arches of their own, with the topmost one dedicated to the once-functional water conduit.
8. Dragon Bridge (Vietnam)
At its most basic, there are only two ways to effectively build an impressive, timeless bridge. One is carefully studying the topography and weather conditions of the region, doing some calculations involving advanced concepts of architecture, and then meticulously putting it all together with the help of the construction team over the course of the next few years. The other is just building a regular bridge and putting a giant, fire-breathing dragon on it.
Authorities in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang clearly believed in the latter, when – back in 2013 – they unveiled the Dragon Bridge. Built to mark the 38th anniversary of the liberation of Da Nang during the Vietnam war, Dragon Bridge connects Da Nang airport with other major roads of the city. The dragon itself – running across almost the entire length of the bridge – is fitted with over 2,500 LED lights for special occasions, along with what we can only assume is a giant, custom-built flamethrower at its mouth.
7. The Helix (Singapore)
The Helix is a pedestrian bridge in the Marina Bay area in Singapore, connecting multiple office and commercial establishments with each other over the Singapore river. It’s like most pedestrian bridges you’d have seen, only built in a complex, double-helix structure of DNA strands.
First revealed to the public in 2010, the Helix was planned as a lighter, better-looking alternative to the vehicular bridge right next to it – the Bayfront Bridge. During the day, canopies of perforated steel at strategic spots provide multiple spots of shade, making it an ideal lunch spot for office-goers nearby. At night, the double helix outline is lit up and emphasized with thousands of multi-colored LED lights, giving the whole thing an organic-yet-modern look.
6. Royal Gorge Bridge (USA)
The Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado is the highest bridge in the country and one of the highest in the world, soaring about 956 feet above the Arkansas river. Built in 1929, the bridge connects the two ends of the Royal Gorge – one of the deepest canyons in the USA – and provides a spectacular view of the unique, sprawling landscape.
The 1,260-foot-long bridge takes the usual canyon experience one step further – by putting you on top of it rather than the base – though one can always opt for the picturesque railroad routes at the base of the gorge, too. The bridge attracts quite a few visitors from across the country throughout the year, as it also offers multiple adventure activities like bungee jumping and zip lining in a sort of a bridge-cum-adventure-park setup.
5. Nanpu Bridge (China)
At a total length of about 5.15 miles, the Nanpu bridge near Shanghai in China is easily one of the longest bridges in the world. On its own, however, the bridge itself isn’t anything special, as the skylines of modern Chinese cities are dotted with other, far-more-impressive bridges. Its main attraction, rather, is the circular network of ramps on its Shanghai side to ease the flow of traffic during rush hours.
It’s a giant, multi-level ramp with smaller ramps of its own, connecting many different roadways with each other and the bridge. It’s quite similar to large intersections in other cities around the world, only with the sole, specific purpose of smoothly diverting traffic over to the bridge.
Before it was opened for public use in 1991, the only way to get across the Huangpu River was on a ferry. Now, it’s one of the busiest roads in Shanghai, as the bridge has allowed for rapid development and industrialization of the districts located on the other side.
4. Twin Sails (UK)
The Twin Sails Bridge in Dorset, United Kingdom is a double-leaved bascule bridge – a type of bridge that uses single or double spans, or leaves, that can be lowered and raised to provide clearance to boats. It’s not a particularly unique bridge design, as bascule bridges can be found all over Europe – another example being the Tower Bridge in London.
What is unique, however, is the shape of its leaves. Instead of the usual rectangles, Twin Sails leaves are triangular in shape, making it the first triangular-leaved bascule bridge in the world. When open for water traffic, the entire structure looks like the sails of two giant yachts passing each other on the open seas. When it’s shut, however, it’s difficult to tell the bridge apart from any other bridge in the vicinity.
3. Si-o-se-pol (Iran)
Si-o-se-pol – or ‘The Bridge of 33 Arches’ in Persian – was originally conceived as both a bridge and a dam on the Zayandeh Rood river in Isfahan, Iran. Completed during the early part of the 17th century, Si-o-se-pol remains one of the best-preserved examples of bridge architecture from the Safavid era.
Over the years, though, the bridge-cum-dam has turned into a really long heritage building, as the lower reaches of the river have almost-entirely dried up due to various reasons. It now exists as a popular recreational spot, with shopping malls, hotels, cafes and other tourist attractions on either side to keep the visitors busy.
2. Veluwemeer Aqueduct (Netherlands)
The Veluwemeer aqueduct challenges the popular notion that bridges should be built over water bodies and not the other way around. Perhaps the only bridge of its kind in the world, the aqueduct – completed in 2002 – passes over the N302 highway in the Netherlands. One of the busiest roads in the country, the N302 connects the mainland city of Harderwijk with Flevoland – the largest artificial island in the world.
Technically speaking, it’s an entire lake built around a highway, with a connection between its two sides to keep the traffic flowing on both levels. It’s a unique solution to a common landscaping problem, usually solved by structures like drawbridges, tunnels, ferry terminals, and overpasses – all of which were found to be costlier and more disruptive for the highway than the aqueduct. It’s a small – yet scenic – part of the larger Flevoland project, as the Veluwemeer is one of the three artificial lakes that surround the 931-square-mile island.
1. Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge (Brazil)
The Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge – named after the 21st president of Brazil – is only one of the many modernist architectural wonders scattered across the Brazilian capital of Brasilia, though it still manages to stand out on its own. Close to 4,000 feet in length, it’s a freeway arch bridge made with steel and concrete, and was first opened to general traffic in 2002.
On a clear day, the bridge could be seen from many other spots in the city, thanks to its three crisscrossing, asymmetrically-placed arches that can’t be mistaken for anything else, each over 200 feet in height. It connects the eastern shore of Lake Paranoá with Brasilia’s city center, serving as an important road link as well as an Instagram-worthy landmark for the city’s 4.8 million residents.