Štefánik Bridge

This bridge over the Vltava River is named after Milan Rastislav Štefánik, a renowned Slovak figure who died tragically.

The eleventh Prague bridge across the Vltava River is the Štefánik Bridge that bears the name of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, a Slovak astronomer, pilot and diplomat who died in a plane crash.

In place of the current Štefánik Bridge stood since 1868 the chain suspension bridge of Franz Joseph I. In 1919 it was renamed the Štefánik Bridge. Prior to its removal in 1947 a makeshift wooden bridge was built next to it, which locals called the Dřevák. Then the old chain bridge was dismantled and a new reinforced concrete bridge was built in its place. It was named after communist politician and journalist Jan Šverma. The name was only changed to Štefánik in 1997.

The bridge has a lightweight design with three segmental arches. The bridge is 163 m long and 24.4 m wide. Concrete guide pillars carry light masts, the bridge railings are made of steel prisms, and the tiles are of granite. The bridge has formed a construction and communication unit together with the Letná tunnel since 1953. During the reconstruction of the bridge in 2007, the original pavement was removed and replaced with a bituminous surface.