Metal bridge over the Dniester, Halych

The town of Halych in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, which lies on the banks of the Dniester River, is connected by a metal bridge. Actually, there are two bridges here now: one is a new, automobile bridge built in the eighties of the last century, and the other is an old, pedestrian bridge. We are talking about the second one. It is one of the architectural landmarks and a kind of highlight that Galicians can be proud of. After all, the metal bridge over the Dniester in Halych appeared more than a century ago.

The metal bridge in Halych was built in the early 20th century. Before that, the banks were connected by its wooden predecessor, located upstream. But floods, which often occurred here in the spring, gradually destroyed it.

A serious need for a reliable connection across the river arose when the construction of the strategic highway Chernivtsi-Stanislaviv-Halych-Lviv began. The projected road had to cross the city center. In addition, the freight traffic on the Lviv-Chernivtsi railroad was constantly increasing. The new transportation routes stimulated the development of Halych's economy, but the wooden bridge no longer met these needs.

In 1900, the Krakow Design Bureau of the Zalinevsky Machine Factory began developing a new technical project, and in 1910-1912 the metal bridge was already built.

During the First World War, the bridge was destroyed, but it was soon restored. At the beginning of World War II, during the retreat, Soviet troops blew up the structure. The German authorities of the time repaired the bridge using forced laborers. The repair work was done by hand by Jews expelled from Halych and the surrounding area. With the retreat of the German troops, the bridge was blown up again, for the third time in its existence.

In 1953, the bridge was completely rebuilt. For three decades it was used for traffic on the Ivano-Frankivsk-Lviv highway. After a new bridge was built in 1984, the early 20th-century metal bridge was turned into a pedestrian bridge. In 2006, the city authorities of independent Ukraine began major repairs. But the funds allocated at the time were insufficient, so at first only the side walkway was repaired.

A few years ago, the entire bridge was replaced, a wooden deck was purchased and laid, the metal supporting channel was replaced, and asphalt was laid. Now both Galicians and visitors can safely walk across the bridge and admire the beautiful views of the river and the surrounding area.

Technical specifications: the bridge is 312 meters long, with 4 stone pillars, and the distance between the pillars is 52, 63, 76, and 55 meters. The structure consists of openwork metal forms fastened together with rivets. The bridge is open only to pedestrians. There are traffic limiters on both sides. On the side of the city center, a memorial sign of navigation was recently unveiled - an anchor found at the bottom of the river, which reminds everyone that the Dniester was once navigable.

You can get to the metal bridge over the Dniester in Halych via the H09 highway. If you are entering the city by car from the north (from Lviv, Rohatyn, Burshtyn), you should stop at the place where Okruzhna (also known as Lvivska) Street turns right to the new bridge. The landmark is the stadium. You can also get there by arriving at the train station. If you're coming from the central part of Halych, the access to the bridge starts on the pedestrian road from the Christmas Square (the Church of the Nativity will be on your right).