Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) - Own work

Created: September 6, 2010

"Aside from short-lived wooden bridges before the 19th century, which were often damaged or destroyed by floods and frost, the first bridge in Bratislava was a pontoon bridge, which was built in 1825, standing somewhere around Koronázási domb tér or Krönungshügel platz (today's Ľudovít Štúr square). It lasted until 1891, when a new steel bridge called Franz Josephs Brücke (Franz Joseph Bridge), was opened, which was part of the railroad track Bratislava-Szombathely. It was built by Gábor Baross' order. During the first Czechoslovak republic (1918 - 1938) it was called Štefánikov most (Štefánik Bridge). During World War II the steel part of the bridge was destroyed, but the stone pillars survived. After the liberation of Bratislava by Soviet troops in 1945, the Red Army and German prisoners-of-war rebuilt the bridge."

From wikipedia