Széchenyi Chain Bridge-The Symbol

One of the most well-known national symbols in Budapest is Széchenyi Chain Bridge. Széchenyi is chosen to be one of the national symbols representing Budapest because if you visit Budapest, you will see this bridge located in the middle of the city connecting two towns together, and there was a history behind this chain bridge. 

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

In 1767, when there was no chain bridge, to cross the Danube river, people built the ship bridge. The ship bridge was built by wood and using the flat boat to support the body of the bridge. However, they had to rebuilt it as it over times got destroyed by severe weather conditions. The idea for renovating this ship bridge into stone bridge was proposed by the Greatest Hungarian, Count Széchenyi in the 18th century. This is why the first stone bridge named Széchenyi Chain Bridge. The bridge was built between 1840 and 1849 and was designed by an English engineer William Tierney Clark, and was supervised by Scottish engineer Adam Clerk. Why not Hungarian design this bridge ? During that time, Hungarian engineers did not have enough experience. William Tierney Clark built the chain bridge identical to the Marlow Bridge in Marlow, the United Kingdom; however, the chain bridge was built over the larger river. It was a pioneer project because the chain bridge was huge 663 feet wide, and the one of the largest bridges in the world during that time. This bridge was well-known due to the fact that it was built by technical techniques and an entire new process. It was one of Hungarian achievement in the field of civil engineering, and enhanced social reform. It was not just a normal suspension bridge that connecting the two town Buda and Pest together, but it brought back all nations into one. 

Ship Bridge

This beautiful Széchenyi Chain Bridge you have seen today was rebuilt many times due to the weather condition and the flooding of the Danube river. More than that, during World War II, the bridge was damaged, and rebuilt again from time to time. Hungarian had made a lot of effort in constructing this Chain Bridge, so if you plan to visit Hungary, never forget to visit this first permanent stone-bridge. 

One thought on “Széchenyi Chain Bridge-The Symbol

  1. This blog post does a good job of introducing a key symbol of Budapest and concisely explaining the history of its construction, making me interested and wanting to learn more! I really liked the inclusion of both an image of what the bridge looks like today, as well as how it used to look before its reconstruction, to provide some context for how monumental it really is! You mentioned the fact that the bridge was crucial in symbolizing the joining of Buda and Pest into one city; I think it would be great if some more details around the importance of this connection were gone into, so that the reader can really grasp the significance of this symbol. I liked that you mentioned how this bridge has continued to be rebuilt and repaired throughout the history of Budapest, as it really illustrates how important a symbol it is to the city!

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