Birthday
HydrangeasBridges are not just engineering but architecture, history and romance. Some hold records for length and span, others survived wars and became symbols of reconciliation, and some have turned into real gardens. Here are ten of the world's most beautiful and impressive bridges with verified facts, plus bridges covered in flowers and those worth seeing in Ukraine.
.jpg)
Sydney Harbour Bridge
This steel arch bridge across Port Jackson opened in 1932. Together with the Opera House it became the city's main symbol, and locals affectionately call it "the Coathanger" because of the shape of its arch. The bridge is 1,149 metres long in total, and the top of the arch rises 134 metres above the water. According to Guinness World Records, it is the world's widest long-span bridge at 48.8 metres. Visitors can climb to the top of the arch on a guided tour in safety harnesses.
Øresund Bridge, Denmark–Sweden
The bridge across the Øresund strait links Copenhagen and Malmö and has been open since 2000. The bridge section itself, about 7.8 km long, leads to the artificial island of Peberholm, after which the route dives under the sea in a tunnel. It carries both a motorway and a railway. The Scandinavian TV series "The Bridge" made it widely known.
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, Japan
The Akashi Kaikyō suspension bridge connects Honshu with Awaji Island. Its central span is 1,991 metres, and for almost a quarter of a century, from 1998 to 2022, it was the world's longest suspension span until Turkey's Çanakkale Bridge surpassed it. The structure is designed to withstand strong typhoons and earthquakes — during construction, the 1995 Kobe earthquake even moved the towers almost a metre further apart.
Ponte Vecchio, Florence
The present Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") was built in 1345. At first butchers and tanners traded on it, but in 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I ordered that only goldsmiths remain — and jewellers' shops still line the bridge today. Above them runs the Vasari Corridor, linking the Medici palaces. In 1944 retreating troops blew up every bridge in Florence except the Ponte Vecchio.
Stari Most, Mostar
This graceful stone bridge over the Neretva River in Bosnia and Herzegovina was built by Ottoman masters in 1566. It was destroyed during the war in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004 using original techniques and stone from local quarries. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a symbol of reconciliation. In summer, local divers leap from it into the river from a height of more than 20 metres.
Helix Bridge, Singapore
The Helix pedestrian bridge at Marina Bay opened in 2010. Its steel spirals echo the double helix of DNA, and in the evening the structure is lit in changing colours. The bridge offers views of Marina Bay Sands and the waterfront, so viewing platforms are built into it.
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
The Golden Gate suspension bridge opened in 1937. Its 1,280-metre central span was the longest in the world until 1964. The bridge's famous colour is called International Orange: it was chosen because it stands out in the frequent fog and harmonises with the surrounding hills. The bridge is continually repainted to protect the steel from sea salt.
Banpo Bridge, Seoul
Banpo Bridge over the Han River is famous for its Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, which entered Guinness World Records in 2008 as the longest bridge fountain. Jets of water along more than a kilometre spray from both sides of the bridge, and in the evening hundreds of coloured lights illuminate them to music. The show runs during the warmer months.
Hangzhou Bay Bridge, China
The roughly 36-km bridge across Hangzhou Bay opened in 2008 and was among the world's longest sea bridges at the time. It curves in an S shape, which helps drivers stay alert and helps the structure cope with the currents. Halfway across there is a rest area with an observation tower.
Bridges in bloom
Flower lovers have a category of bridges of their own. In Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, the Bridge of Flowers has existed since 1929: a former trolley bridge that residents turned into a garden about 120 metres long, where hundreds of plants bloom from spring to autumn. And Lucerne's wooden Kapellbrücke, one of Europe's oldest covered bridges, is decorated with boxes of flowering geraniums in summer. For more places where flowers shape the landscape, see the world's most beautiful landscapes.
Bridges worth seeing in Ukraine
- Paton Bridge in Kyiv — opened in 1953, it was the world's first all-welded road bridge of such length.
- Pedestrian and cycle bridge in Kyiv — links Volodymyrska Hill with Khreshchatyi Park; opened in 2019, with glass sections in the deck.
- Bridges of Kamianets-Podilskyi — the ancient Turkish Bridge, rebuilt many times over the centuries, leads to the Old Fortress above the Smotrych canyon.
Frequently asked questions
What is the longest bridge in the world?
Overall, railway viaducts in China more than 100 km long hold the record. The longest suspension span today belongs to Turkey's 1915 Çanakkale Bridge at 2,023 metres.
Why is the Golden Gate Bridge orange?
International Orange is highly visible in fog and blends with the natural landscape of the bay.
What is the most famous bridge in Ukraine?
Among the best known are Paton Bridge and the pedestrian bridge in Kyiv, as well as the Turkish Bridge in Kamianets-Podilskyi.
View full-size photo
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
