Pňovany Railway Bridge

The first design of the bridge in 1894 envisaged the construction of piers made of steel, but it was not approved, so the current form of the bridge is based on the second design from 1897. It consists of two stone piers over the dam, 44 metres high (including foundations), and two earth piers on each side of the bridge. Above them are three steel spans, each 55 metres long. Two stone arches complete the bridge. The total length of the bridge is 210 metres and the calculated weight of the steel structure is 461,144 kg.

The Construction of the bridge began in 1899 and was completed in 1901. The bridge was originally built over the Mže River and the height was about 47 metres. In 1963, the valley was flooded by the Hracholusky Water Reserve and the height of the bridge dropped to the current 37 metres. Before that, the bridge piers were strengthened to withstand the increased water level. The steel structure of the bridge received its first major repair between 1969 and 1972, in addition to continuous painting. Today, the bridge still serves its original purpose and has also been popular with adrenaline sports enthusiasts since the 1990s.

Extensive reconstruction of the bridge began at the end of July 2018 and on 1 July 2018, a symbolic farewell to the old bridge took place. The spectators were treated to an incredible sight as a steam locomotive passed over the bridge. The reconstruction of the bridge involved the replacement of the three main steel spans, the reinforcement of the substructure with grouting and the completion of a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists. For the replacement of the steel spans, a unique method of sliding the new span onto the original bridge, connecting and rotating it around the horizontal axis was used. The repair was completed in April 2019 and a successful load test was carried out on 27 April 2019 using three T 679.1 (781) class locomotives called Sergei.