Castelvecchio Bridge - Verona, Italy
Posted by: 
ThePacman
N 45° 26.453 E 010° 59.233
32T E 655417 N 5033849
Verona's 14th century Castel Vecchio Bridge is listed on wikipedia.
Waymark Code: WMNPZF
Location: Veneto, Italy
Date Posted: 04/16/2015
Views: 12
The Castel Vecchio Bridge in Verona was built in the 14th century, and is known in Italian as the Ponte di Castel Vecchio or Ponte Scaligero.
It was originally built by the noble ruler Cangrande II della Scala in 1356. Della Scalla, who was seen as tyrant, needed a possible escape route out of his Castel Vecchio castle north towards Austria in case of popular rebellion.
It is a fortified bridge of three segmental arches which span a total of 120 metres over the Adige River. The largest arch spans almost 50 metres, and was the largest arch in the world at the time of construction. The distinctive architecture has red brick above and white marble below. The bridge tower is typical of the Medieval period.
The tower on the northern bank was destroyed by French troops in the 18th century and never rebuilt.
During World War II, on the 24th April 1945, the bridge which had been standing for centuries was destroyed by German troops as they withdrew from Verona. It was accurately reconstructed in 1951 with the original bricks and stones.
It is now used as a pedestrian walkway, where many tourists walk between its fortified embattlements every day.
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