Krakow Poland 2021 ????????

Father Bernatek Footbridge - a pedestrian and bicycle footbridge on the Vistula River in Krakow, connecting Kazimierz with Podgórze , built on the site of the former Podgórski Bridge . By the decision of the city council, it was named after Fr Laetus Bernatek , a monk who at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries led to the construction of the buildings of the Bonifratri Hospital in Krakow .

The footbridge, built according to the design of the Author's Design and Plastic Studio of prof. Andrzej Getter, has the form of a steel arch stretched between the existing abutments of the Podgórski Bridge, to which two platforms are suspended (one for pedestrians, the other for cyclists). The steel arch is 145 meters long, and the platforms are approx. 130 meters. The whole structure weighs over 700 tons, and the cost of its construction is over PLN 38 million, of which PLN 15 million came from EU funds .

The creation of the footbridge contributed to the cultural, social and tourist revival of the streets leading to it on both sides of the river, as well as the adjacent part of the Vistula boulevard [ footnote needed ] . The meaning of the old route between Plac Wolnica and Rynek Podgórski, leading along Mostowa and K. Brodzińskiego Streets, was restored .

Construction of a footbridge
Initially, the footbridge was built on the bank of the Vistula River on the Bulwar Kurarówka (along the river), only after the entire structure had been prepared on the bank on June 19, 2010, it was moved by barges and cranes to the other bank . It was put into operation on September 30, 2010 .

Awards
2011 - first place in the category of "footbridges" in the Bridge Competition. Maksymilian Wolf conducted by the magazine "Mosty". The interesting architectural form of the footbridge, which is an important element of the landscape of Krakow's historic boulevards, was especially appreciated.
2011 - first place in the "lighting of a selected space and facility" category in the "For the best lit commune and city of 2010" competition organized by the Polish Lighting Industry Association. The constant illumination of the footbridge with the use of a dynamic LED lighting system was particularly appreciated .
Controversy
Some residents of Krakow criticized the usefulness of the footbridge. It was built in the vicinity of two other bridges that already have sufficiently wide pedestrian paths. On the other hand, the money spent on this purpose could be spent on the renovation of streets in the city .
There were also fears that the footbridge would contribute to the process of gentrification in Podgórze and that it would be useful primarily for tourists, and not for residents.
The footbridge was named after many residents of the city and the district councilors of the XIII district, who suggested calling it the Podgórze footbridge or the Charles footbridge (due to the Charles Bridge that once stood in this area ).
It is also controversial that the implemented project is radically different from the one selected in an architectural competition. It is a precedent that the competition is won by a project that cannot be built and it undergoes such a drastic transformation. A comparative analysis .
Trivia
The footbridge becomes a place of lovers. Hundreds of padlocks with names, initials, words of love, and dates have already been fastened on the barrier of the bridge. Couples in love hang a padlock on the bridge, latch it, and then throw the key into the Vistula River as a sign that their feelings will remain unbreakable for the rest of their lives.

So the footbridge has become the so-called Bridge of Love, examples of which there are many in Europe: the Florentine Ponte Vecchio on the Arno River , the Roman Mulwijski Bridge , the Paris Pont des Arts , and in Poland: the Tumski Bridge in Wrocław , the Bydgoszcz footbridge at the Opera Nova, the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw .

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