The Chain Bridge was the first permanent bridge along a 2,400 km stretch of the Danube, and was also one of the most technically advanced bridges built between 1839-49. At the time it was the largest suspension bridge in the world, and remains one of the most beautiful.
Uniting Buda and Pest.
Count István Széchenyi was a dominant political figure, and a great Hungarian statesman. He was a bold reformer devoted to progress, and realised that the development of transportation was the key to successful economic growth. Széchenyi believed that uniting Buda and Pest with a bridge would be of immense national importance, and would establish the city as the major economic, political, and cultural centre within Hungary.
Széchenyi was able to attract the interest of a number of Budapest businessmen who were willing to invest in the bridge project, including Greek descendant Anasztáz Derra, who was one of the wealthiest men in Budapest, as well as Viennese banker György Sina.
Obstacles
Popular opinion was that a bridge could not be built. Past experience confirmed that piers had a damming effect on rivers, and caused ice to pile up which resulted in widespread flooding. Bridges with several piers were usually only built if there was no danger of the river icing in winter. The piers could also alter the flow of the river, and subsequently wash away the bridge foundations, and cause the bridge to collapse. Many arched bridges on lesser rivers were washed away, including the Avignon Bridge on the Rhône River. The lack of bridge building skills within Hungary added further doubts to the project.
Széchenyi was determined to find a solution. He travelled to England, and studied the work of eminent civil engineers and architects, and inspected several bridge designs by English architect William Tierney Clark. Following his research Széchenyi concluded that a chain bridge, which is a suspension bridge held up by chain links rather than regular steel cables, would provide the most feasible engineering solution.
Proposals
English architects George Rennie and William Tierney Clark were invited to submit their proposals for the bridge, and subsequently tendered several plans spanning different sections of the Danube.
English engineers John Plews and Samuel Slater advised that a chain bridge with as few piers as possible would minimise the damming effect, and special care should be taken when constructing the foundations. They also suggested that the bridge should not be built on the narrowest part of the river.
Site for the Bridge
Based on these recommendations Széchenyi chose the site for the bridge, which is anchored on the Pest side of the Danube to Széchenyi Square (formerly Roosevelt Square) adjacent to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the Gresham Palace. On the Buda side the bridge starts from Clark Adam square, near the Zero kilometre stone at the lower end of the Castle Hill Funicular, and opposite the Castle Hill Tunnel, which was also built by Adam Clark.
In 1838 a National Committee studied the relevant proposals, and accepted William Tierney Clark’s two-pier chain bridge plan.
Chain Bridge Company Contract
The contract between the newly formed Chain Bridge Company and the government was signed on the 14th May 1839. The Company undertook to finance the building of the bridge, which was partly funded by the Austrian Rothschild House, and banker György Sina. The Agreement stated that the Bridge would belong to the Company for 87 years, after which it would pass to the government free of charge. During its tenure, the Company would charge a toll for each person using the bridge. Ferries wishing to operate in the vicinity would have to obtain the Company’s permission, and no other bridges would be built within one mile of the Chain Bridge.
Challenges
At the beginning of the project W. T. Clark appointed Scotsman Adam Clark (no relation) as the resident engineer to oversee the project. The two Clarks faced a number of challenges, which included sourcing suppliers for the necessary materials, which came from as far away as England. Transport seemed to be an insurmountable hurdle, as rail lines didn’t cover Europe the way they do today. Roadways were unable to accommodate large loads, and were only passable by pedestrians or horse drawn carriages. England’s history of shipping solved the problem, and consequently barges were used to transport materials efficiently along Europe’s waterways, and canals.
Construction of the Chain Bridge
The first permanent pile was sunk on the 28th July 1840. Up to 800 people worked on the bridge; the majority were local workers who were supervised by a team of skilled tradesmen from England. As many as 60 English families moved to Budapest for the duration of the project.
Installation of the 12 chain sections commenced on the 28th March 1848, and by the 18th July only the final piece remained, when catastrophe struck. A link in the conveyor broke, and the final section of the chain was catapulted to bottom of the Danube. The accident caused the death of one worker, and a four-week delay.
The Chain Bridge was opened on the 20th November 1849. The total length of the bridge is 380 m and it is 14.8 m wide. Two 48-meter river piers hold the iron chains on which the roadbed hangs. The chains are constructed from of iron plates that are connected by large rivets, which allow small movements within the chains. The chains are fed through the top part of the pillars where they rest on large iron saddles. The chain-chambers are positioned deep underground, which are anchored by vast iron blocks.
The stone lions that decorate the abutments at both ends of the bridge were carved by sculptor János Marschalkó, and were laid in place in 1852. Contrary to popular belief the lions do have tongues. The portals are decorated with a crowned Hungarian Coat of Arms, surrounded by a wreath of leaves on either side, above lion-head capstones.
Adam Clark Honoured
Count Széchenyi did not live to see the completion of the bridge, although Adam Clark was able to admire his work until his death. In 1855 Clark married Hungarian Áldásy Mária, and lived in Budapest with their three children.
Clark was proud of his Scottish heritage, and declined the Hungarian title he was offered for his part in the construction of the Chain Bridge. He did however proudly accept a solid gold snuffbox presented to him by Franz Josef I, which he treasured all his life.
The square leading to the Chain Bridge on the Buda side is named after Adam Clark, using the Hungarian reverse name order, Clark Adam.
Renovations and Rebuilding
Traffic on the bridge increased rapidly, and by 1913 it was necessary to fortify the bridge and strengthen the ironwork. Great care was taken not to change the appearance of the bridge. It was reopened in 1915, and was rechristened the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. In 1918 all bridge tolls were abolished.
In 1937 the first festive illumination was installed to coincide with the visit of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III, and Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg.
During WWII retreating German troops destroyed all the bridges in Budapest, including the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. On the morning of January 18th 1945, a bleak, and desolate scene greeted shocked Budapest residents. The broken spine of the bridge lay buried under the cold, murky, waters; only the two lone pillars remained visible on the river between the isolated cities of Buda and Pest.
The bridge was rebuilt in 1947 with minor modifications. Most of the chains were found to be in sound structural condition, after they were salvaged from the bottom of the Danube.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge Today
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge continues to serve the Budapest residents, and is a popular attraction for many city events. It is the centrepiece of the New Year’s Eve and St Steven’s day fire works, and is also the focus of the summer festival craft markets, and various cultural exhibitions. In 2001 aerobatic champion Péter Besenyei flew upside down under the bridge, setting a precedent for the Red Bull Air Races. The bridge was featured in the 2002 movie I Spy, and also in the Katy Perry Firework video.
A plaque on the Pest side of the river reminds us that the Chain Bridge over the River Danube is now one of only two surviving bridges designed by William Tierney Clark. The other one is the suspension bridge over the Thames at Marlow, England.
Sources
12/12/2011 Széchenyi Lánchid
09/11/2009 Historical Notes
Erika Gösi - I was born in Hungary, but I have lived abroad all my life where I was fortunate to have experienced many wonders of Africa and Australia, ...
