Incredible Bridges You Have To See To Believe
Here are 20 of the most incredible and amazing bridges from around the world!
PlacesOctober 27, 2022・
10 min read
Bridges are an important innovation in infrastructure and architecture, allowing us to traverse areas in relative safety. They have a simple job, but they come in all shapes, forms and sizes ranging from the most serious feats of engineering to the funniest, coolest and most innovative. Here are 20 of the most amazing bridges from around the world!
20. Banpo Bridge, Korea
Banpodaegyo Bridge is most famous for the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain which runs along 570 meters of its length on both sides. It’s composed of 380 jets of water which spray onto the river and with hundreds of thousands of LED lights.
This bridge illuminates spectacularly at night with rainbow colored water jets that synchronize to music. During the day, the fountain’s configuration makes the water resemble willow branches and leaves.
19. Devil’s Bridge, Germany
Known as Rakotzbrücke, this stunning stone bridge was commissioned by a knight in 1860. It was nicknamed the devil’s bridge due to its miraculous arched form which was notoriously hard to construct and was thus suggested to have been built by the devil himself rather than by mortal hands.
The bridge’s parabolic form is designed to be a near-perfect semi-circle so the illusion of a full stone circle is formed when the shape is reflected in the water below.
18. Canopy Walk, Ghana
The Kakum National Park in the Central region of Ghana is extraordinarily rich in foliage and is one of the most biodiverse parts of the region. It features a 350-meter-long canopy walkway which connects 7 tall tree tops in the rainforest.
Positioned over 150 meters from the canopy floor, this bridge isn't for the faint hearted but it has a modern metal construction with a safety net positioned underneath for added protection. Visitors can expect to see huge varieties of tropical birdlife across the jungle vista.
17. Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a stunning historical bridge which was built in the late 19th Century. It’s certainly not the most impressive bridge in terms of its dimensions but its ornate twin-tower design is sure to be the center of many of London’s souvenirs for decades to come.
The Millenium Bridge is the newest of London’s iconic bridges and its modern form stretches 345 meters across the Thames.
It was once most famous for its rather alarming wobble which was reported by thousands after it opened to the general public. After analysis, the designers found out that this wobble was caused by the positive feedback phenomenon.
The natural motion of people walking on the bridge would cause a small but noticeable wobble and as people on the bridge gradually adjusted their stride to balance themselves in unison, the wobble would intensify. The structure was closed for two years while designers rectified the problem!
16. Oresund Bridge, Sweden
With a total length of 7,845 meters, this rail and vehicle bridge connects Denmark’s capital Copenhagen with the Swedish city of Malmo. With a raised central section to accommodate sea traffic, this bridge is quite the picture to look at.
Its construction has seen the economies of both Denmark’s Copenhagen and Sweden’s Malmo improve considerably thanks to their much-enhanced connectivity.
15. Moses Bridge
The West Brabant Line is dotted with 17th-century forts and many were surrounded by moats which were deep enough to protect from marauders but too shallow for boat travel. This ‘bridge’ named the after Moses is rather peculiar because it actually extends below the water line.
Therefore, it isn’t really a bridge at all but rather a trough. To compensate for changes in water level, the designers installed a dam system which would redirect excess water to prevent it from flooding over the top of the bridge. It’s named Moses Bridge as a biblical reference to Moses splitting the Red Sea in ancient Egypt.
14. Rolling Bridge, England
At Paddington Basin in London, this 12-meter bridge connects low-lying paths without encumbering river access to the surrounding buildings and offices. Designed by the prolific Thomas Heatherwick, this bridge unfurls via the use of concealed hydraulic pumps.
13. Slauerhoffbrug, Netherlands
Another rather extraordinary example of a moving bridge, this bridge in the Netherlands nicknamed by some as the ‘terminator bridge’ or ‘flying drawbridge’ actually retracts a whole section of road in order to let river traffic through. It does this as many as 10 times a day.
12. The Millau Viaduct, France
This amazing bridge is widely considered to be one of the world’s finest and it was the world’s tallest bridge with a high point of almost 350 meters above the ground until China’s Duge bridge seized that accolade in 2016.
The Millau Viaduct is still higher than the Eiffel Tower and with a total length of almost 2,400 meters, this award-winning structure was built by both British and French architects over a period of 3 years costing 394 million euros. A truly stunning driving experience, this bridge is designed to enhance the route from Paris to the Mediterranean and eventually to Barcelona.
11. Ponte Vecchio, Italy
This gorgeous historical bridge in Florence is noteworthy because of the shops built into its stony construction. This bridge actually first appears in a document dated 996. The original wooden bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1117 and the replacement, built in stone, was also swept away in 1333.
It was finally rebuilt in 1345 and though it’s been strengthened since, it is still much the same bridge as it was then. Formerly, butchers lined the bridge’s shops but the current tenants are souvenir sellers, jewelers and craftspeople.
10. Akashi-Kaikyo, Japan
This extremely beautiful bridge situated near Kobe, Japan, is the world’s longest suspension bridge with a total length of 3,911 meters. Finished in 1998 after a 12 year build period, this bridge had to meet the unique demands of Japan’s frequent earthquakes as well as strong sea currents.
2 million workers worked on the bridge and it’s formed of 1,810,000 tons of steel and 1.4 million cubic meters of concrete.
9. Golden Gate Bridge, USA
The Golden Gate Bridge is an internationally recognized symbol of the USA and is one of the country’s most important architectural works. Crossing the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Marin County, it was opened in 1937 and is 1,300 meters long.
It was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1964. This bridge is situated in an earthquake zone and thus, it’s a feat of intelligent engineering as well as aesthetic beauty.
8. Multnomah Falls Bridge
You only have to glance at this bridge to see that it’s a bit special. It provides a viewing platform over Oregon’s awesome Multnomah Falls; the USA’s fourth highest waterfall. Its two-stage descent passes below this bridge, named Benson Bridge. Benson Bridge has been damaged more than a couple of times by large boulders arriving from upstream.
7. Duge Bridge, China
In this modern era of bridge building, huge and mightily tall bridges are possible to build with what seem like next-to-no supports. China has taken the crown of engineering the world’s most impressive bridges and now holds the title for both the longest and tallest bridges.
The longest bridge is the stunning 164.8-kilometer-long Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge which forms part of the Beijing to Shanghai high-speed railway.
The tallest bridge and the first and only to pass the 500 meter mark is the Duge Bridge at 565 meters above the valley below.
Another extremely precarious looking bridge is the spectacular Sidu River Bridge which passes 1,222 meters over the Sidu River at a height of 496 meters at its highest point.
6. Siberian Bridge, Russia
This rickety looking Siberian bridge was initially built for trains and though it has been replaced, this original wooden structure was left standing. At over 1,640 feet long suspended above the ice-cold Vitim River, this bridge is certainly not suited for any vehicle and yet adventure-seeker Martin Remiš managed to cross it in his Ford Bronco.
Here's a honorable mention when it comes to extremely terrifying bridges: the Alam Bridge, built over the Gilgit river. You only need to glance at this all-wood and iron construction to notice that it’s seriously lacking in the safety department.
Until it was damaged by that truck, Policemen were stationed at the bridge to ensure that no one broke the speed limit or exceeded the bridge’s max weight limit of 20 tons.
5. Trift Suspension Bridge, Switzerland
Overlooking spectacular views of the Swiss Alps is this pedestrian-only suspension bridge. Spanning 170 meters at a height of 100 meters, this bridge isn’t for those who are the least bit scared of heights.
To get to the bridge, you have to take a cable car followed by a gondola and finally a 2-hour uphill hike. Perhaps the most notoriously out-of-bounds bridge for acrophobics is the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge.
It's a 430-meter-long bridge with a clearance of 260 meters above the ground below. This all-glass bridge is an extraordinary feat of engineering and it has already attracted 80,000 visitors in a single day.
4. Living Root Bridges, India
Cherrapunji in Northeastern India is one of the wettest places on Earth and hosts an extraordinary tree named the Ficus elastica. This tree has evolved sets of roots which protrude from a fair way up its trunk, enabling it to take root over the top of large boulders on riverbanks.
The local Khasis tribe realized this tree’s ability to grow roots at a great height and utilize them to actually grow bridges over the riverbanks by which the trees inhabit.
By cleverly guiding the roots when the tree is young, the Khasis tribe has created natural bridges which allow them to safely cross the area’s fast flowing rivers. Some of these amazing bridges are over 100 feet long and can take 10 to 15 years to establish.
3. Magdeburg Water Bridge, Germany
The Magdeburg Water Bridge is the largest navigable aqueduct in the world and is essentially a large bridge that can actually transport boats across the Elbe river below from the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittelland Canal.
The most amazing thing about this 918-meter bridge is the amazing weight that it can take to sustain the transport of both commercial boats and pedestrians.
2. Jiangzhou Immortal Bridge, China
Natural arches are the bridges of nature and some of these awesome rock formations have existed for several millennia. An ‘immortal’ bridge formed from limestone in Guangxi Province, China, is almost four hundred feet long.
But one of the world’s most striking immortal bridges is the amazing rock formation below, atop Mount Tai.
Though these rocks seem suspended in delicate and precarious fragility, scientific estimates suggest that these rocks have been arranged like this for several million years. Local residents and folklore say that anyone who safely crosses this bridge will gain immortality.
1. LEGO Bridge, Germany
This quirky bridge is fortunately not created from actual giant plastic Lego bricks but is instead a concrete bridge painted by street artist Martin Heuwold.
The total 250 square meter area was painted over 13 days after the project was officially approved by both the local Wuppertal government and the official Danish Lego company. The artist cited his inspiration for the project by saying; "My daughters play with Lego bricks."
I hope you were amazed at these incredible bridges. Thanks for reading!
