In different countries of the world, you can see a huge number of real masterpieces of engineering, man-made structures that amaze the imagination. Many people consider bridges to be the most attractive and aesthetic. These structures are being erected in various forms, they can have a variety of parameters. There are pedestrian, railway and road bridges. But the most unusual and remarkable are the aquatic ones. Ships go along them.
1. Magdeburg Water Bridge
This aqueduct is the longest of all similar structures in the world. A barge or ship can freely pass through it. The local population christened it the Crossroads of Waterways. It is located in the German city of Magdeburg, ten kilometers from its central part, right above the river. The project was planned to be implemented in the last century, but to no avail. This opportunity appeared only in the 21st century. The structure is a connecting element between the Elbe and the two canals. The bridge is 912 m long and 4.5 m deep.
2. Pont du Sarthe bridge
The bridge is located in Belgium near Houdeng Geognis. In fact, it extends the Central Canal, crossing from above the junction of highways No. 55 and 535. The concrete structure is not too long - only 498 meters. The width of the aqueduct is 46 meters. The total weight of this structure, placed on 28 powerful columns, is 65,000 tons. Each of them is three meters in diameter.
3. Briar water bridge
For a long time, the aqueduct was considered the largest and longest in the European Union, but today it has already lost ground a little. However, his age is impressive. It continues to be one of the oldest. Construction work on the construction of a bridge for the movement of boats and barges began in the distant 1600s. It took almost forty years to erect and commission the structure (1604-1642). More than twelve thousand workers took part in construction work during this entire period.
The Briar water bridge is located in France. In the construction of many similar modern structures, this technology was taken as a basis. The structure is a connecting link between two rivers - the Loire and the Seine. The length of the aqueduct is about 56 km. Its depth is relatively shallow - about 180 cm. There are 36 locks along the entire length of the bridge, thanks to which the rise changes.
4. Falkirk wheel
A complex structure connecting the two canals is located in Scotland. The height of the bridge and its depth are varied by the presence of eleven locks located along its entire length. Immediately after construction, the aqueduct was not operated. Ships on it were allowed only after the sluices were replaced by later designs, allowing four large barges or ships to be lifted simultaneously.
5. Aqueduct Veluwemeer
The facility is located in the eastern part of Holland. It connects two reservoirs of artificial origin.
Initially, it was planned to build a standard road bridge on this site. And since the project did not justify itself, it turned out to be expensive and not entirely convenient, the authorities decided to install a universal structure along which both cars and small ships could move. Large-sized vessels will not be able to pass this aqueduct. Below the bridge there is a tunnel for vehicles. Up to 30,000 cars pass here every day.
The water level in reservoirs near Veluwemeer is regulated with the help of dams and reservoirs. But in some situations, this regulation system does not work and the tunnel is flooded with water. The water bridge is 19 meters long and 25 meters wide. It runs along a line that divides the part of the Netherlands that stretches on the mainland from Flevoland, a bulk island, which is no more in the world.
6. Moscow aqueduct
The Russian water structure is located in Moscow, on the Volga-Moscow canal. Its length is one and a half kilometers. The structure was built as a connecting element between the reservoir in Tushino and the river. Its depth is about five and a half meters. There is also a gateway, however, there is only one.
There are many unusual architectural creations in the world. Read about a fragile bridge at an altitude of 2,000 meters, which has not broken for more than 300 years.