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Bishop's Jordan Bridge
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Bishop Jordan BridgeIt is a good idea to cross the Bishopąs Jordan Bridge over into Ostrów Tumski from the district of Śródka to take in the superb view of the cathedral, nestling among the crown of chapels at its east end. This view is particularly impressive in the evening, when the cathedral and bridge are illuminated.
A crossing between Ostrów Tumski island and Śródka already existed a thousand years ago. The first wooded bridge over the Cybina was erected at the time of Mieszko I, providing Ostrów Tumski (the prince and bishop's residence) with a permanent link with Gniezno and Ostrów Lednicki. In the 12th century it connected Ostrów Tumski with the rapidly growing district of Śródka. It was in F. Braun and G. Hogenberg's 17th-century views of Poznań that the bridge, at that time a wooden construction with two watchtowers, was first recorded for posterity. In the 19th century, when essential repairs were carried out on the Cybiński Bridge, traffic crossed over the sluice gate, which formed part of the Prussian-built fortifications (see fortifications).
With the early 20th century seeing a yearly increase in the volume of goods crossing the bridge, the Prussians decided to put up an iron bridge, which was erected in 1905. Within six years, flaws in its construction had led to limits being imposed on road traffic over it, and the bridge had to be replaced with a new one, which was completed in 1913. Interestingly, the tram tracks ran so close to the pavement that pedestrians were in danger.
On 5th September 1939, the retreating Polish armies detonated the bridge, which led the Germans to put up a temporary wooden construction. After the war the bridge was rebuilt, with steel girders and a wooden road surface. This survived until 1970 when it was dismantled. On 7th December 2007, the Bishopąs Jordan Bridge returned to the site it had occupied for almost a thousand years. The bridge utilised the elegant span of the old St Roch Bridge, which had served Poznanians well from 1913 to 2002.