RITAM GRADA RHYTHM OF THE TOWN
STARI ŽELEZNIČKI MOST: ZAŠTO NIJE OFARBAN? OLD RAILWAY BRIDGE: WHY ISN’T IT PAINTED?
P rvi beogradski železnički most izgrađen je 1884. Stajao je na šest kamenih stubova i bio jedina čvrsta veza između dve savske obale. Time mu je, s ratovima koji su dolazili, sud- bina bila prilično mračna. Srušen je početkom Prvog svetskog rata, 1914, kako bi se austrougarskoj vojsci presekao prilaz Beogradu. Pet godina kasnije je ob- novljen, ali sličan scenario rušenja ponovljen je 1941, ovog puta u odbrani od nadiranja nacista. Po navodima iz knjige Tajna Novog Beograda Zo- rana Lj. Nikolića, okupatori su tokom rata uspeli da sa- stave konstrukciju kako bi premostili reku, a most je u tom periodu imao i „brata blizanca“, kako bi se voj- ni transport odvijao u dva smera. Danas postoje samo ostaci temelja tog drugog mosta, dok je Stari železnič- ki most kakav znamo izgrađen po završetku Drugog svetskog rata u okviru ratne reparacije. Nikad nije ofarban, a o tome postoji i legenda – navodno su projektanti zaboravili da uračunaju teži- nu farbe, a dodatno opterećenje bi moglo da ugrozi statiku mosta.
B elgrade’s first railway bridge was built in 1884. It stood upon six stone pillars and was the only “sol- id” link between the two sides of the River Sava. This meant that, with the wars that came, its fate was somewhat grim. It was demolished in 1914, at the start of World War I, in order to prevent the Austro-Hungarian Army from accessing Belgrade. Five years later, the bridge was rebuilt, but a similar scenario resulted in its demolition being repeated in 1941, this time in defence against the Nazi invasion. According to claims published in Zoran Lj. Niko- lić’s book “The Secret of New Belgrade”, the wartime oc- cupiers succeeded in putting together a structure in order to bridge the river, and at that time the bridge also had a “twin brother”, in order for military transport to be carried out in both directions. Today only the remains of the foun- dations of that second bridge survive, while the Old Rail- road Bridge as we know it was built at the end of World War II, under the auspices of war reparations. It has never been painted and a legend exists regarding this fact – allegedly, the designers forgot to factor in the weight of paint, and the additional burden could jeopardise the bridge’s struc- tural integrity.
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