Osobowice Bridges

Osobowice Bridges is a stone-and-brick crossing of the Oder in the northern part of Wrocław, made up of two independent structures.

History of construction

The current bridge was built in 1897 during a wide-ranging reconstruction of the city's river transport system, linked to the construction of the new City Canal and City Port. Work began in November 1895, and the official opening took place at the beginning of December 1897. The crossing replaced a wooden predecessor, located about 700 metres further downstream, which had been built as far back as the end of the 18th century and originally served as a private access road to the brickworks at Osobowice.

Construction of the two bridges

The bridge consists of two parts: a single-span southern section, spanning the canal leading to the lock and river port, and an eight-span northern section, stretching over the current of the Oder and its floodplains. The southern bridge was built as a steel girder bridge with a reinforced concrete deck slab and an openwork steel balustrade. The arched northern bridge has a deck-level roadway, and its piers were built of granite, while the arches of the spans are of clinker brick. The entrances to the northern bridge are marked by slender obelisks, two on each side of the deck, and the balustrade with arched openings is built of clinker brick and topped with profiled granite slabs.

Heritage status and renovations

On 15 October 1976, the Osobowice Bridge was entered into the heritage register. Between 1987 and 1990, it underwent a thorough rebuilding of the roadway and pavements, during which an asphalt surface was laid. A further renovation was carried out around the year 2000.

Practical information

• Location: northern part of Wrocław, a crossing of the Oder connecting the Kleczków area with Osobowice
• The bridge is open and accessible to pedestrians and vehicles
• It is worth noting the granite piers, clinker-brick arches and obelisks at the entrances to the northern bridge