Two historic footbridges being the cultural heritage – the early times of cast iron usage

The first iron bridge on the European continent was built in 1796 in Łazany, near Strzegom (Silesia), Poland. It had a frame structure with the span of 12.5 m, consisting of five iron arches, each 16.85 long and 2.89 high. The bridge was destroyed during the Second World War, but some of ist elements have been recovered.

There are some similar structures preserved in Poland, built at the beginning of the 19th century. At least two of them are footbridges and they will be presented in details, i.e. the footbridge which was built in 1824 in Opatówek and the footbridge built in Krzeszowice from the year 1830. Both footbridges are located in parks in the surroundings of previous residence of prominent persons and both are still in use.