History and revitalization of the two oldest concrete footbridges in Wrocław

The paper presents history and revitalization of two twin reinforced concrete footbridges located in the centre of the city of Wrocław, Poland. The footbridges were built in 1926, therefore they are one of the oldest concrete bridges in Wrocław. The footbridges are located in the direct vicinity of the Centennial Hall – the architectural jewel of Wrocław, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It makes the bridges very important for the history of the city and its architecture.

The paper describes method of the recent (2011, 2013) revitalization of the footbridges. Decades-old concrete bridges are very often in a bad condition and simple repairs are of no use. In such cases, it is necessary to strengthen the loadbearing elements. For this reason the footbridges were renovated and also strengthened. Main elements of both structures were strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP). Range of the repair works and location of the strengthening elements are presented in the paper. The requirements of the monuments conservator were met without any changes in the shape of both structures and their architecture.

The paper also presents obtained results – the footbridges after revitalization. Conclusions considering such method of renovation and strengthening of historical concrete footbridges are given.